O C Chronicles 3 of 22: Dark Love
by dopliss
Summary: Third story in the saga. With no place to go, humans willing to end his life and all alone in the world, is it possible for a monster to find a place to call home, let alone... love? Rated M for mature content.
1. The First Encounter

**dopliss: (wrapped up in bandages) Hey, guys, and welcome to my third story. But, after a little… mishap that happened with Team Rocket at the end of story two, things are going to take a different turn. What I mean is, I'm gonna tell the stories from the perspective of the main OCs. Let's see how this goes, shall we?**

**Disclaimer: Darkstalkers is a franchise owned by Capcom. If only they gave equal focus on all their franchises instead of their cash cows…**

**A/n: Okay, I need a little help from some of you hardcore Darkstalkers fans out there, mostly because I can't find any website with a sufficient amount of information on this series. There's something called 'Dark Force' – what exactly **_**is **_**it? I mean, as far as I've researched, it's some sort of buff that makes the user stronger for a few seconds, but when it also adds something extra to some of the combos, is there more to it than that? Please tell me in a review, okay?**

* * *

You know how a daily grind usually works for the average guy? Ever since birth, you go through several years of education, form bonds with the people you meet, graduate from high school, college or whatever fancy-schmancy place your parents got you in, find a nice girl or guy, get married, get children, help them through life just like your parents helped you, watch them get an education and a job and a soul mate – and then, at the very end, you can get yourself a peaceful death, going out with a smile on your face as you remember all the good times in your life.

That daily grind and me… we're on opposite sides of the universe.

Throughout my life, I never got educated, I never made bonds, and I _certainly _didn't get any help from either my parents or anyone else. And when I die, I will be lying down on the ground, slowly rotting away as vultures peck at every little piece of decaying flesh on my body. No funerals to be held, no tears to be shed – nothing.

Why do I think like this, you ask? The answer is simple: humans can't stand types like me.

Ever since I was a kid, I've been wandering through America on my own two feet, struggling every day to survive, occasionally breaking into people's houses for some food or water. I have no place to go, no purpose whatsoever – hell, I don't even have a sense of time. All I've been doing is just walking and walking and walking. That's _my _daily grind, right there.

Well, _former_ daily grind.

This last week has been one where I didn't get any food to eat or water to drink, 'cause all I crossed on my path was a bare road with the occasional car passing by and a few bushes whose lack of fruits and berries would only feed the everyday herbivores and desperate vegetarian. The food I prefer to eat usually consists of juicy flesh, so even if I was vegetarian, I wouldn't put any leaves of branches in my mouth.

As I kept walking (as if I had anything else to do), the grass tickling my feet, I began to feel the effects of no food or water. My vision became more and more blurry, my eyelids became heavier and heavier, and my legs began to give in. And so, I lost my footing and fell down face-first onto the grassy ground.

Finally… my crappy life comes to an end.

As I lay there and waited for the Grim Reaper to swing his scythe over my head, the sounds of playing children caught my fading hearing's attention. Lucky kids… they get to experience a life better than mine. Huh, that's strange… I can feel the ground vibrating. It's getting stronger and stronger… and those kids are getting louder too…

Oh damn… They've spotted me.

I used what little strength I had left in my body to half-open my eyes. Yep, just as I thought, the kids have gathered around me. I can prove this because I could see some small feet in front of me. My ears then twitched as they started saying things I can't be bothered to listen to – things like that I'm actually lying here and that I'm a freak and encouragements to poke me with a stick and blah, blah, blah. Who wanna hear those kinds of things when you're dying?

Speaking of which, my consciousness is fading faster now. Probably shouldn't have opened my eyes just to see what kinds of shoes they're wearing… And so, as my eyes closed for the last time in my life, I gave my last breath as I plead for the one thing I really wanted at the moment: "…Water…"

Heh… As if any of these kids actually wanna help me by giving me something to drink. The thought alone would be enough to make me laugh if my throat wasn't dryer than Sahara.

"Someone! Help me get this man inside!"

Huh? Who's that? And did that person just refer to me?

…Nah… 'Help me get this man inside'… it's probably someone else. Someone that people will give a damn about.

Even with my eyes closed, I could feel my world plunge into darkness…

* * *

What is this scent I smell? Flowers? I've smelled this particular scent before… I think it's the smell of roses. I remember sniffing one out of curiosity.

Wait a minute… why do I smell roses? Is that natural to do in the afterlife?

I opened my eyes, and I was greeted with the sight of a ceiling painted in ivory. As I sat upright – I noticed I was in a bed big enough for one person while doing so, for your information – I found myself surrounded by ivory-painted walls, a brown wooden door with a silver knob, windows, another door that was black with a silver knob, and a dresser with a mirror and a vase with a rose in it.

I guess I'm stuck in some sort of limbo while whatever almighty deity decides what to do with my soul. But why make me wait in a room as tidy as this? The absolute lack of bathing I've had for the last week of my life – not to mention the many, many, _many_ other times I've not washed – should qualify me as someone you don't wanna let inside something so clean, no matter how goodhearted you are. …Unless I don't keep my smell after dying… I'd better check this.

…

Nope. I still stink of my own sweat and filth.

Well, if I'm gonna have to wait for however long I have to wait, then I don't wanna spend my time lying-slash-sitting in a bed. I jumped off the side and landed on my feet. The wooden floor feels cold… I guess it'll heat up quickly if I go to Hell. I then got down on all fours and stretched my body – first forwards, then backwards, just like I always do. Now that I've taken care of that, I might as well take a peek in the mirror.

Gives me an opportunity to describe how I look while I'm at it.

I got up on my feet, walked up to the dresser, and looked deeply into the mirror. The usual reflection of myself stared back at me. Nothing's changed from what I remember looking like last time – same blue eyes, same messy forest of blue hair, same muscular build. With a body like that, some could consider me a man of mediocre attractiveness who just never bothered to cut or wash or style his hair. However, with me, that's not the case.

The reason for this is because I'm not human.

You see, I may have the attributes of a thirty-year-old man with a physique that makes me look like I spent the last year in a gym, but everything else is pure feline in appearance. My white-furred ears are triangular and stick out at the top of my head, a long white tail about two thirds of my body grows out from my coccyx, my teeth are very pointy, and my hands and feet are twice as big as a human's and looks like paws, complete with big red claws and pink pads. Also, I don't wear clothes, but instead my body grows thick patches of white fur on my hands, feet, shoulders, the middle of my chest, and everything from my waist to the middle of my thighs.

I know what you're thinking: "Eeeew! A naked monster with a furry crotch! So disgusting!" Don't worry; my junk can't be spotted that easily. You see, my genitalia is the same as many other mammals. Case in point, I have a sheath, making it look like I'm wearing furry boxers. And I have absolute control of everything down there, so it won't accidentally slip out.

So, to summarize, if you wanna look at my package, you're gonna have to settle for my balls.

"Oh. I see you're awake."

That voice… I recognize that voice. It's the very same voice I heard just before I died. What's that person doing here?

Oh well… at least now I can see who was crazy enough to flat out say 'Help that monster avoid the embrace of death'.

I slowly turned around to face my would-be rescuer fully and got a good look at the person. As far as I could see, it was a woman with sapphire-blue eyes, pristine hands, and a kind smile on her face. Now, I mean 'as far as I could see' as in I can't see anything else this woman might possess because she was wearing the dress and hat usually worn by those 'nuns' I've heard about. Never actually met one in person, but now that I'm dead, I guess I can prove one religion correct.

Actually, now that I look at her, there's something very odd about her. She's not shivering in terror, she's not slowly backing away from me – she's not even yelling at me or threatening my life. All she's doing is just standing there, smiling as if I wasn't a 'hellspawn', as many have called me.

"Well, this is interesting," I said. "You're the first person I've seen whose first choice of action _isn't _running away or trying to kill me." Hmm… my voice isn't the pained and hoarse sound I've grown used to this last week. "I really must be dead if someone like you exists."

She tilted her head to the left. "Dead?" she asked. Few seconds later, she straightened her head again and laughed, holding a hand at her mouth like a stereotypical princess in a fairytale. "No, no, you've got it all wrong. You're not dead at all."

Wait, really? I was pulled away from the light at the end of the tunnel? But that means… this situation I'm in is completely unrealistic! "Are you telling me _you _saved my life?" I asked.

She folded her hands and her smile grew bigger. I guess that means yes. "I carried you in here and made your unconscious body drink some nice, cool water all by myself," she answered, followed by some light giggling.

Interesting… That makes my mind think of two things. I'd better confront her about them one at the time. "You carried my unconscious body all by yourself? You must hide some pretty big muscles under that dress of yours."

She let out another laugh. Her voice is kinda cute, now that I think about it. She then held up her right arm and placed her left hand on her bicep. "I'm no Wonder Woman, but when someone's in peril, I'll leap into action and save the day!" she replied.

Heh… That got me chuckling a bit. Now, on to interesting fact number two. "By 'all by myself', I guess no one else wanted to help me, huh?" I assumed. "And don't try to say that you were the only one there – I heard kids playing around."

Her mood took a turn down the drain and her pretty little smile faded away, replaced by a frown. "Yes. No one other than me came to your aid. The others even told me to just, as they put it, 'dump you and walk away'."

She reached her left hand up to her headdress and took it off. Wow… that's _a lot _of blue hair. Seriously, it's as long as mine and more untamed than a lion's mane – scratch that – her hair puts a lion's mane to shame. "My mother always told me to do the right thing. Dumping your body and walking away would be sinful of me," she finished.

"Okay, good to know," I replied. Now that I've got those questions answered, I've got some new ones. "You mentioned something about 'others'…" I looked around at this little room I thought was a waiting room in limbo. "That reminds me, where the heck am I?"

Her mood instantly changed back to her previous state of friendly happiness and her smile returned. It's as if this woman's mood is like a pendulum. "This is an orphanage run by nuns. Its name is the 'Felicity House'." I could practically see the pride shining in her eyes as she put her hands on her hips. "I had this building made myself… although I'm not in charge anymore."

"Not in charge anymore?" I asked.

She nodded. "Someone else became the Mother Superior and took over." Sounds like a power-hungry whore. "Not to backtalk her, but… she was the one who insisted that I left you alone the most." Let me rephrase that: Sounds like a power-hungry bitch with a cross up her ass.

"And what day, month and year is it?" I asked.

She looked curious at first, but then returned to her smiling. A happy smiley must be her default expression or something. "It's Friday the first of October, 2000."

Year 2000, huh? To think it's been that long… I shook my head and said, "Well, it was nice to meet you, but I've gotta leave." That last part was a lie. I have no place to go and no reason to hurry. I couldn't help but get a bad taste in my mouth as I walked towards the brown door, which I assumed is the way out.

My way out was suddenly blocked when the nun stepped in front of the door and held her hands out in front of her, a look of concern on her face this time. "I'm sorry, but you can't leave yet," she said.

What am I, a kid getting scolded by his teacher or parent? Not ever tried that, but I've seen movie clips in the TVs standing in the windows of the various electronics stores I've walked past in my life. "Look, I appreciate your kindness and saving my life and all, but I need to go now that I'm up and running again."

"You're lying." What the…? How can she tell? "Besides, you're _not _up and running again. Look at yourself – you'd be nothing but skin and bones if it wasn't for me!"

That's… Okay, I'll admit, I left out the part about me not having eaten in days showing its visual effects on my body. Sue me if you want; I have nothing you can take.

…

…And if it wasn't enough that I look like a skeleton-to-be, my stomach just ratted me out as loudly as it could. Game, set and match to the nun. I drew a weary sigh in defeat. "Okay, fine," I said. "I guess I can stay until I'm at a hundred percent – but once I'm fully recovered, I'm leaving."

The smile and kindness returned to her face. "Good to hear," she replied.

Geez, what's up with this woman? First she saves my life – a monster's life – then she acts all friendly and answers his questions without a second thought, and now she refuses to let me leave unless I'm healthy. I know she said her mother told her to always do the right thing, but a length like this is weird, even by my standards. She must be either dumb, crazy, or hiding an ulterior motive of some sorts.

A sudden knock on the door behind her was heard, followed by the voice of another woman. "Sister Felicia! Are you still in there?" she asked. "We need your assistance with the children!"

The nun in front of me turned her head to look at the door. "Coming!" she replied. She then turned back to me and took her headdress back on. Where she keeps all that hair, I don't know. "I'm sorry to leave so suddenly, but I have duties to attend to."

Oh well… at least I got her name. "You're Felicia?" I presumed.

She gave another nod. "That's my name, yes. And may I ask for your name?"

Ah, yes, that's only the fair thing to do. I smiled and held out my right hand. "I'm Jonathan Taylor. Nice to meet you, Felicia."

She smiled back and shook my hand. Her hand nearly disappeared in my paw-shaped fist – I could barely feel it being there. "Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Taylor," she replied.

Ooh… 'Mr.'… How fancy. "No need to act so formal. Just call me Jonathan – or 'John', if you like."

Felicia giggled as we let go of each other's hands. "Now, you stay here and get some rest. I'll come get you when it's time for dinner." And with that said, she turned around, opened the door, and walked out. She then turned around and kept looking at me as she slowly closed the door for whatever reason. "See you later and sleep tight, Jonathan."

And so, the click of the door shutting and her footsteps fading away signaled her departure for some other part of this nun-driven orphanage. I'm curious as all hell about these new, unfamiliar surroundings, but… also very tired. I guess she's right… I'm in no fit state to walk onwards on my journey to nowhere in particular.

Yawning, I turned to face the bed and leapt right onto it, which was easy to do with my feline abilities. I then pulled the covers over most of my body and made myself comfortable. It's been a while since I've slept this comfily… and I love sleeping.

* * *

Dinner at the Felicity House was not as quaint as my conversation with its founder.

When I awoke once again in my current bedroom – and confirmed that I wasn't just dreaming that whole experience – it took twenty minutes before Felicia knocked on my door. She told me that dinner was almost ready and offered to show me around the orphanage. With the fact that I'm forced to stay here until my body is perfectly healthy and fit to go, how could I possibly say no without offending her? Plus, I get to find out more about my surroundings.

I'd first expected this orphanage to just be a relatively small hotel-like building. Boy, I was wrong. The Felicity House is big enough to look like one of the more fancy churches I've seen in my life – it even has a chapel and one of those weird booths you sit in when you confess your sins (can't remember the name when Felicia told me what it is). Other than the churchlike elements, there's also a small kitchen, a dining room with six small tables surrounding a big one, several restrooms both in each bedroom and a few for guest use, a living room with a TV, and a garden with a couple of trees and swing sets for the children to play in.

After my little tour was done, we went to the dining room and took a seat at the big table, sitting on opposite sides. As more and more people gathered around to eat, I could see how many persons live here. By my count, there were about thirty children ranging from age seven to age fifteen, and with Felicia included, there were ten nuns to take care of them. If what little amount of math I've learned serves me well, there are in total forty humans living here – forty-one if you include me as a temporary guest.

That's another thing… Everyone was staring at me as if I was some exhibit at the zoo. I can't blame them for looking, but I can't be certain on _why _they're looking at me. Is it because I'm a monster, is it because I'm a new face around them, or is it because I can be considered half-naked? My biggest guess is the first one, but I can't help but feel the third one has a microscopic role in the other nuns' reasons.

At least the food was great. Other than the delicious glass of cold, sweet milk that I haven't had in forever, the main dish they served everyone was hasenpe… hasenfef… hasen… has – something stew-like made from a rabbit. As I ate it, I added another reason for making me so interesting to look at to the list: my lack of table manners.

Hey, why use a fork when you've got claws and why use a knife when you've got strong, sharp teeth?

By the time I was done eating, I noticed that they were only halfway through. Have they been looking at me all this time? Oh well… got nothing better to do, so I can at least keep sitting at the table like a gentleman. And occasionally lick my plate clean.

Hey, I haven't eaten in days; cut me some slack.

My ears perked up when I heard the fat lady three seats to my right – Felicia told me she's the Mother Superior calling the shots around here – clearing her throat. "Sister Felicia," she said dryly. "I understand fully well that it's His divine will that we follow… but I still insist on throwing that monster out."

Oh, just _great_. I'm still the center of attention. I sat upright from my plate-licking and eyed the nun that I've befriended and the nun that wants me to get lost as soon as possible. My blue-haired friend shook her head and looked at the Mother Superior with pleading eyes. "Our duty as nuns is to help those in need and guide them towards a bright future," she retorted. "That duty concerns both man and monster alike."

The fat lady scoffed and crossed her arms. "Unless you've forgotten, the Creed of Faith belonging to our religion states, and I quote, 'we forsake the Devil, his being and all of his actions'." I could see her cutting a glare in my direction, and I instantly knew what was coming next. "…Actions such as spawning creatures from the bowels of his lair and unleashing them upon our world." Called it.

Felicia frowned. Okay… let's see what your comeback is. "I can assure you that Mr. Taylor is absolutely not in relation to the Devil." Hmm… pretty weak argument, but her firm tone backed it up. I'd give it an eight at most.

"He is not human – and since he's not one of God's angels either, he must be the work of the devil."

"What about animals, then? They're far more inhumane than he is, and He was the one who made them. For all we know, He could also have created Mr. Taylor."

Just as I'd expected, 'Ms. Large and In Charge' replied with a haughty laugh. "Good joke, Sister Felicia, but all that our Lord has created is our world, the animals, and us humans. And we, in return, created the society and laws of our countries all over the world. Every other nonorganic being that isn't a dish is the work of Satan in a parody of God's magnificent masterpiece."

I've had it with this woman and her annoying insults to me. "Oh, cram a sock down your throat, Rosie O'Donnell," I said bitterly.

The absolute look of shock on her face was priceless – take my word for it. Felicia also looked pretty surprised, but seconds later shook her head and went back to eating. It took the Mother Superior minutes before she did the same.

I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my chair, looking around at the dining room's walls. Would've tried to initiate a conversation with any of these ladies sitting next to me, but I think they don't wanna talk to me in fear of getting punished for speaking to the one who just sassed their commander. And I'd bet my tail if I talk to one of those kids, they're gonna pester me in some way for the rest of my stay with the knowledge that _I'll _get punished for standing up to them. All I want right now is for them and everyone else to leave me alone.

As I looked around, my eyes suddenly locked on something that made my stomach whoop in glee. Right there on the floor, a little mouse was busily chewing away on a small piece of bunny stew that one of the nuns unconsciously dropped in its forepaws. Speaking of doing something unconsciously, my rough tongue took a little trip outside my mouth, along my lips and back into my mouth again. Mice, fish, and small birds – these are the animals I like the most… to eat.

With narrowed eyes and a predatory smile on my face, as well as my tail swishing softly from side to side, I crouched down with my hands and feet on the chair, waiting eagerly for just the right moment to strike down on my unwitting prey. I used to suck at stalking feral critters in the past, but now I'm an expert. If you want any proof, search the various sewers and sandboxes I've passed throughout my whole life.

Seeing the right moment, I leaped at it and… success! I caught the little mouse in my hands, and now it's squeaking in fear. With a triumphant smirk, I declared, "Gotcha!"

"…Um…"

At the sudden voice of one of the nuns, I turned my head to look up at them. They're still staring at me, but in place of the wary expression they had before was one that more or less just flat-out said "What the hell are you doing?"

Shrugging, I got in a sitting position with my feet and left hand pressed against the floor and my little snack hanging by its tail suspended by my right fingers. "Hey, I'm part cat; what'd you expect of me?" I replied. I then turned back to the squealing prey in my hand and licked my lips again. They told the kids there's no dessert tonight, but I've just caught one for me to enjoy. With the sadistic pleasure of slowly sending my prey to its demise, I held it up above my head, laid my head back, opened my mouth as wide as I could, and slowly lowered the mouse into its doom.

The sudden sound of something scraping against the floor distracted me from my treat. I closed my mouth and looked at the source of the noise. I saw that Felicia had bolted upright from her chair, and now she was storming over to where I currently sat, a disappointed look on her face. Then, she snatched the rodent from my hand and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Taylor, but you can't just do that here. As long as you're staying with us, you have to act civilized enough to not eat mice. Besides, kids are watching."

If any of the other nuns had tried that, I would've scratched them. Felicia's the only one here who's actually been nice to me, and throwing that away would be dumber than leaping into a dog kennel with steaks tied to my body. I just crossed my arms and looked away, replying obediently with a hiss of "Fine."

"I'll just let this little thing outside," I heard her say, followed by the sounds of her footsteps slowly fading away.

Drat. I wanted to eat that mouse so bad. I hope I'll find it again during my stay here… or at least one similar or fatter. With nothing else to do, I placed my hands down on the floor and began scratching my right ear with my right leg. Feline flexibility, guys – you can reach anywhere on your body with it.

Meanwhile, I could hear the nuns whispering to each other. With my senses being far superior to humans in any way, I could easily pick up everything they said. "What is Felicia thinking, bringing a beast like him in here like that?" one asked.

"I know. She must either be crazy or really stressed out," another replied.

"I agree 100% with you," a third piped up. "Who in their right mind would help a… a… a… um… What's the word for them, again?"

The first one was the one to reply to her question. "I think they're called 'Catmen' or something."

"No, no – I mean the word that refers to all sorts of demonic beings."

I turned my head in another direction and grumbled, "Darkstalkers." I don't care if she heard it or not, but at least they didn't talk about me anymore.

Darkstalkers… that's what every human call monsters like me, as if it's some sort of universal word for us. Vampires, zombies, mummies – everything that's not human or animal or completely dead is categorized as a Darkstalker, just like the term 'human' categorizes people all over the world like Americans or Europeans or Asians. I know of that term because whenever people who're trying to kill me had lost sight of me, they would always yell something like "Where did that damn Darkstalker go?!"

I don't wanna be around these guys anymore – the mood is just rubbing me wrong in every possible way. With a sigh, I stood up on my feet and walked back up to my room, leaving with the feeling of dozens of eyes looking at my back.

* * *

I spent the next hours of the evening doing random things out of boredom like licking my hands or rolling around on my bed. The only thing I did do that wasn't because I was bored was going to the bathroom to get priority number one and two out of the way and down the drain.

And right now, I'm lying on my bed and staring up at the ceiling, occasionally throwing a glance out the windows to see the setting sun and the upcoming moon. My enhanced hearing told me about what everyone else who lives in the Felicity House were up to. Some of the kids were watching cartoons with the volume turned up so high, I wouldn't even need enhanced hearing to know that. After some negotiation (i.e.: angry yelling and scolding) by the nuns, the sound was turned down to a level that couldn't possibly be of harm to anyone. Other than that event, I also heard the nuns have friendly chitchat with each other, as well as praying.

But as time passed and it became darker and darker outside, more and more residents of the orphanage went to bed – I could tell because everything went silent and the different scents of the nuns and children spread and stopped at different locations. And now, as I got a clear visage of the pretty moon hanging on the night sky, all I could hear from the others was nothing but snoring.

Speaking of which, I've gotta go catch a few Z's myself. And so, I closed my eyes and prepared to board the train to dreamland. Now the only thing I can sense other than my eyelids growing heavy is the smell of everyone else who sleeps here in the orphanage, all 39 and…

Wait a minute! 'All 39 and…'? There should be forty people other than me here! Where did that last one go? But more importantly, who's that other being in here?

I snapped my eyes open, bolted upright, and began sniffing the air. Let's see… it's definitely not human… and not an animal either.

Oh crap! It's another Darkstalker!

I leapt out of bed, ripped the door open, and went running down the hallway on all fours – the fastest way for me to move. If that Darkstalker isn't friendly, he or she might kill someone here! And worst of all, if that happens, then when the surviving nuns and children find the mutilated corpse or corpses, I'm sure they'll pin the blame on me!

My nose led me to one of the other's room. Shit! That means it's probably already killed one – would explain why one was missing. I stood up on my feet and knocked hard on the door.

What the…?! The Darkstalker's scent disappeared!

"W-Who's there?" I heard Felicia's voice ask. Oh, great. At least she's not dead.

"It's me, Jonathan," I answered. "I need to come into your room."

"Uh… j-just a sec!" What followed, according to my ears, was the sound of shuffling. Then, ten seconds later, she opened the door and poked her face out. "What is it you want, Jonathan?"

I really don't have time for stalling. I pushed her aside and barged into her room, which looked identical to mine. "Okay, you little bastard, where are you?!" I demanded. The Darkstalker probably has some kind of way to hide its scent.

I don't need any sixth sense to tell that Felicia was unhappy with my rude entrance. "Look, Jonathan," I heard her say in a sour tone, "it's pretty late, and I need to get up early for my morning prayers, so would you kindly leave?"

She's unaware of her imminent danger. I turned to her with a serious glare and told her the truth. "There's another Darkstalker hiding in this very room."

Just as I expected, her face turned pale, her eyes widened, and she put her hands over her mouth as she gasped. "That… But, that can't be!" she said. "You… you must be mistaken! There's no one here other than the two of us!"

I've wasted enough time as it is, so I started searching the room. "I'm not wrong," I told her as I looked under her bed. "Seconds ago, I smelled something inhumane coming from this room."

"Y-You must've smelled wrong!"

I then checked her bathroom, finding no clues or anything odd. "Throughout my life, I've never trusted any part of my body more than my nose – and with good reason, 'cause it's been right every time."

I would have continued my ransacking of Felicia's bedroom, but she quickly walked up to me and tried to stop me by grabbing my shoulders. "Jonathan, please!" she pleaded. "There is no other Darkstalker here!"

Wait a minute… Why didn't I think more of this before? "You know, those nuns were right; your kindness to Darkstalkers like me is very strange," I stated, looking her right in the eyes. "First you save me from dying of hunger and thirst, then you force me to stay here until I'm fully recovered, and now you're protecting a monster that could possibly kill everyone here without a second thought." I shrugged her small hands off my shoulders. "Time to fess up, Felicia. Who exactly are you?"

You know, now that I look closely at her, she's sweating and shaking quite a bit. She then gulped, sighed, and took five steps away from me. "Alright, then… I won't keep it secret for you anymore." Now what's she talking about? "Jonathan… please turn around for a moment."

Alright. Finally I'll get some answers to her weird behavior towards me. I did as she said and turned around, looking at the toilet as she did… whatever. Seconds later, my ears twitched at the sound of… fabric hitting the floor?

Wait… is she _stripping_?! Is _that_ why she's so nice to Darkstalkers?! Because she has some form of fetish for them?!

"Okay, Jonathan… you may turn back around."

I'm almost afraid to. Keeping my head tilted down and my eyes locked on to the floor like a gentleman, I slowly turned around. Just as I thought… Her black dress lay at her feet.

Her furry… big… clawed feet…

WHAT?!

I quickly tilted my head backwards to fully look at her, and if it wasn't for the fact that I knew she's standing in front of me, it would almost be like looking in a mirror. As I suspected, she did strip down to being completely nude, but that's not the biggest shocker. No, that belonged to the facts that she had cat ears and a tail just like mine, grew fur different places on her body just like me, and her hands and feet were twice as big as before and had claws and fur.

Aside from the obvious, the only differences between her and I was where her fur grew. While the fur on my hands and feet only covers all from the tips of my fingers and toes to my wrist and ankles, hers reaches the shoulders and the lower half of her thighs. I have a clump of fur at the middle of my chest; she has thin strips of fur covering her nipples and the outer sides of her breasts, along with some strips surrounding her belly button. I have fur growing on my shoulders; she has strips of fur a little further up her arms and legs. And finally, where I have fur around my genitalia that make it look like I wear furry boxers, she has fur growing at her crotch and hips, making it look like she's wearing panties.

As for the rest of her body that isn't feline… hot damn. Her legs are beautiful, her body's got some decent muscles, her breasts are big, her curves are just right… she's flat-out gorgeous! In my opinion, she's got the body that every woman would kill to have.

Well, her figure, anyway.

She looked at me with a somber look as she rubbed her left upper arm. "You see… the Darkstalker you smelled… it was me," she admitted.

Of course! Why didn't I realize it before? The moment I knocked on her door, she transformed into a human form – which is something, as far as I'm concerned, that most Darkstalkers can do. But still, I couldn't help staring at her in awe. "You… you look just like me…" I breathed. Pull yourself together, man! I shook my head to snap back to my normal self and gave her a serious stare. "Why did you keep this secret from me, a fellow Darkstalker?"

She looked away from me and tensed her arms. "Well… to be perfectly honest, I was worried for how you'd react when you saw my real form. I thought that the moment you laid your eyes on me, you'd get really mad or even be hostile in general at the sight of another Darkstalker and would want to fight me. Or you might be jealous when I told you about where you are and go tell everyone about me being a… well, you know."

Her logic seems reasonable enough. I crossed my arms and assumed, "The other nuns and the children don't know about this?"

She shook her head. "Who knows what they'd do if they ever find out? With all the additions to the Darkstalkers' bad reputation, I'm sure they'd do something awful to me." She then looked directly at my face, took three steps towards me, and got on her knees as she folded her hands pleadingly. "Please, Jonathan. Don't tell them anything about this. I'll do anything for you if you don't."

There's no way I can say no to her. She saved my life, she gave me a place to stay, she'll let me eat and drink back to full health… and most importantly, she's the first person ever to be nice to me. Plus, she's just like me – a lone soul in a human-ruled world. We've gotta stick together to survive. I smiled down at her and said, "My lips are sealed."

The smile on her face that I've gotten used to returned to her face – a bigger smile, actually – and her eyes just sparkled in happiness. "Thank you, John!" she said. Even her voice overflows with joy. "I owe you, big time!"

How cute. "I've got three things to say to you, though," I added. "First: you don't have to be on your knees and beg."

When she heard, she quickly got back on her feet. "And the other two?" she asked with one eyebrow raised in curiosity. I would have, too, if I was in her stead.

"Second: you don't owe me nothing." My smile grew a bit wider. "You saved my life and let me stay here, remember?"

She laughed at that last sentence. "That's right! How silly of me to forget!" She then tilted her head in anticipation. "And the third thing is?"

I kinda already know the answer, but I'll ask anyway. With a smirk, I asked, "What happed to that mouse you took from me?"

Her smile instantly faded and her cheeks became slightly pink. "Oh… um… well…" She averted her gaze and twiddled her fingers, laughing sheepishly. "…Let's just say I got a little dessert after dinner."

I knew it. I couldn't help but laugh wholeheartedly, and she joined me seconds later. When we stopped, I let out a yawn. "Well, it's getting pretty late…" I stated. "I guess I'll go back to my room for some shuteye."

She nodded. "Yeah, me too." She then turned away from me and bent down to pick up her dress.

…Whoa! Her ass is completely bare of any fur, unlike mine. I could feel my cheeks heat up as I watched her walk over to a nearby dresser and put her clothing away in a drawer. Okay, boy, before she turns back – calm down! Don't let her suspect you've been ogling her butt like some pervert!

I think I managed to subdue my blush enough, for when she turned back to face me, she just smiled in that friendly manner of hers. "Well… sleep tight, John," she said. "And remember: don't say a word to the others."

I smiled back. "I won't." I then walked towards the door, when I suddenly remembered something. I turned back to look at her again. "There's one other thing…"

She tilted her head in curiosity. "What's that?"

I held out my right hand. She just looked at it for a moment before looking back at my face and tilting her head the other way. "Another handshake," I explained. "I want to shake the hand belonging to the real you."

She nodded in understanding, walked up to me, and shook my hand. This is way better than last time, mostly because it doesn't look like I'm crushing her hand. Her grip felt firm yet gentle – fitting for a kind woman with muscles like her.

We then let go of each other, and I backed out of the door to her bedroom. "Goodnight, John," she said.

"Goodnight, Felicia," I said back.

I then began walking back to my own room as I heard her door silently close. I thought I was gonna find my stay here at the Felicity House a bother.

Boy, I was wrong.

* * *

dopliss: There you have it, folks. This was my first attempt at writing a first-person perspective. I hope I did well enough for it to be at least passable. And now that a new OC is introduced, let's give him a bio!

_**Name: **__Jonathan Taylor._

_**Age: **__30._

_**Author's nickname: **__The tomcat Darkstalker._

_**Gender: **__Male._

_**Race: **__Catman Darkstalker._

_**Height: **__1.7 M._

_**Weight: **__60 Kg._

_**Appearance: **__Blue hair, blue eyes, white fur, ears and tail._

_**Clothing: **__None._

_**Abilities: **__Feline flexibility, enhanced senses, enhanced speed, enhanced strength, metamorphic capabilities (cat and human), sharp claws, prehensile tail._

_**Weaknesses: **__Cannot swim, is only street-smart._

_**Relatives: **__Unknown (presumed dead)._

_**Bio: **__Ever since early childhood, this monster has lived his life all on his own. With the continual discrimination towards him by unfriendly humans, he has grown to deeply despise all of humankind. All he seeks in this world is to find the one place where he belongs, where no human would bother him and he can live the rest of his life in peace. He occasionally loses control of his mind to do stereotypical feline things such as chasing mice, play with yarn balls and mewl with other stray cats. With his impressive control over his own carnal urges, he represents the heavenly virtue of chastity._

dopliss: (suddenly sweating) Phew… Is it me, or is it getting hot in here?

(A humanoid shape of pure fire appears next to dopliss)

Living fire: Unwitting fool! If you wish to write a story in this fictional universe, then you shall be supervised by the great Pyron!

dopliss: Wait a minute… Pyron? Aren't you dead in canon?

Pyron: Indeed. And since i am unable to appear in this story for that reason alone, I shall be by your side as things progress.

dopliss: Okay, then. Make yourself at home, just cool down, okay?

Pyron: …If you didn't need to write your stories to their ends, I would kill you for that joke alone.


	2. The Calling

**dopliss: I've gotta admit, writing stories in first person perspective is tougher than I thought.**

**Pyron: Get used to it. I will not let you slack off and forget about your duties.**

**dopliss: Oh, that's right… you're still here.**

**Disclaimer: Capcom owns the Darkstalkers franchise. I've got a bad feeling I have to write that for nearly a hundred more chapters...**

* * *

If there is one thing I absolutely love, it's the cool and delicious milk.

If there is one thing I absolutely hate, it's something very dry in taste.

What do you get when you combine those two? Oatmeal – a bittersweet excuse for a breakfast that only caters for filling your stomach and ignores anything involving great taste.

I rant about this because that's what I and everyone else at the Felicity House had for breakfast. And as I ate this bottom feeder of the breakfast tier, I heard most of the kids around me pleading to put even the slightest grain of sugar on it, which the nuns denied. I can't blame the kids for wanting some taste on their breakfast.

To be frank, the only – I repeat: only – reason I eat this is to get more milk than what is in my glass. Felicia's doing it for the same reason, I guess.

Speaking of which, I still can't believe it. Not only is she a Darkstalker, but she's so frighteningly similar to me, I'd almost guess she and I are twins separated at birth. And, well… she's got a nice body as well. Shame she's hiding it under that dress.

But, after I finished up my lousy cereal, I am now resting at the foot of one of the trees in the kids' playground, lying down and basking in the wonderful sunlight that always makes me feel drowsy. Ah, sun… you always make me relax the most. With the soft grass under me, the solid tree acting as a pillow, and the sun smiling down at me, I could just take a nap and stay asleep until sunset.

Mother Nature, you're my guardian angel.

My relaxing way to slumber was interrupted when my nose revealed three different scents very close to me. Well, to be honest, their respective smells are very similar, mostly because none of them have integrated daily bathing and deodorant into their daily routines. Not that I'm one to talk about hygiene – the only way I 'bathe' is by licking all over myself.

Stop thinking that!

I opened my eyes to give the three boys a bored glance. As far as I can tell, one's about ten years old, another is twelve, and the last one is nine. Though their ages are different, they're all giving me the same stare of interest and disgust. "Whaddya kids want?" I asked grumpily. Hey, I wanted to take the perfect nap.

"So, you really are one of those, huh?" the nine-year-old said. I didn't bother replying. "You're one of those monsters who'll kidnap children in their sleep and eat them."

Geez, what've the nuns told these kids? "I like meat and all, but human meat is a no-go for me," I replied, my tone being more bored than grumpy.

"Then that means you're still gonna kidnap us when we sleep!" the ten-year-old stated, cowering behind the twelve-year-old. I'd bet a big bottle of milk they brought him along for some protection.

"_Why _should I kidnap any of you?" I asked. "I don't care about money, and I don't wanna go through all that trouble just to get the pleasure of worrying your caretakers." I closed my eyes again and stretched my legs. "Now beat it, kids – I want some shuteye."

The high-pitched scoff from the twelve-year-old and a kick to my left leg made me open my eyes again. The little brat was smirking down at me, completely unaware of how in over his head he is. "Ha! You're just a lazy oaf and not scary at all!" he said.

Time to teach these brats a lesion. "Okay, kids," I said calmly. "Look closely at my ears and tail. What animal do I look like?"

They exchanged confused glances, before the nine-year-old guessed, "Uh… a cat?"

"Yes. I am part cat. And here are two facts about cats that you'd do best to know." I held up one of my right fingers. "Fact number one: cats love to sleep and can sleep almost all day. And fact number two is this…" Now it was my turn to smirk and glare as I slowly curled and uncurled my fingers, showing off my big claws. "Sharp claws – I has them."

Perfect. I intimidated them enough to buzz off. Now that I was finally alone, I rested my head in my hands and closed my eyes once again. I at least hope I can get a microscopic amount of sleep before someone interrupts me again.

As I expected, another person's scent drew near me. But fortunately, this time it's a smell belonging to someone I actually like. I opened my eyes, and there on my right stood Felicia, her hands folded in front of her and her face bearing a disappointed frown.

I sighed and assumed, "You saw all that, didn't you?"

"You didn't have to be so mean to them," she stated.

I redirected my vision from her to the skies above. "Can't help it. Every time I talk to a human, I become unfriendly."

I sensed her sitting down next to me. "Can't you at least pretend to be nice to them while you're here?" she asked.

I looked back at her and saw how she sat on her knees. Would probably be best, 'cause I can't think of a way to both sit down while wearing a dress and keep your modesty at the same time. "I don't think I can," I replied. "Throughout my life, I've had nothing but bad experience when it comes to humans. When I was twenty, I actually started despising them more than dogs."

She looked directly at my face with those pretty blue eyes of hers. "I see… Well, can you at least not get in a fight with anyone here for the rest of your stay?"

I haven't been here for two whole days, yet I've already figured out what kind of person Felicia here is. The little peacemaker who wants everyone to get along, that's her in a nutshell. I just gave her a short nod and returned my gaze to the clouds. I didn't sense her leaving. Is she having a break from taking care of the kids? Or… could it be that she wants to keep me company because we're so much alike in species?

Whatever the case, it would be rude of me to just ignore her for however long she's gonna sit here. I'd better strike up a conversation. "So… why did you build this orphanage in the first place?" I asked.

"Ah – glad you asked," she replied. Her voice sounds happier, and I bet she's smiling. "You see, after a bit of struggle, I thought to myself, 'What can I do to make everyone happy?' And so, I build this orphanage so that homeless children on the streets could get a place to stay and hope for a chance to get a family."

I need to rephrase something. She's a little peacemaker who wants everyone to get along _and_ be happy. I rolled my eyes, looked at her face, and stated, "You're the most selfless person I've ever seen and met."

She giggled at my statement. "And you're the most, uh… naked person I've ever seen and met."

Uh… this conversation quickly became awkward. Aw, damn… I can feel my cheeks getting warm. But _her _cheeks are also a slight pink, and she's still giggling. I swear, she did that on purpose.

Thankfully, an interruption was heard by the two of us. Turning my head to look at my left, I saw one of the ten-year-olds up in another tree a few feet away and one of the nuns yelling at him to climb down, which the brat refused to. He can stay up there all day, for all I care, but that's mostly because I don't mind climbing a tree and sleeping on a branch.

The sudden feeling of a hand on my right shoulder made my head snap back around to look into Felicia's pleading eyes. I bet she'll ask me a favor, or my name is Felix – and it's not. "Uh, well…" she trailed off. "Since I can't… you know, show my real self to them… could you…?"

I sighed and replied, "Okay, I'll get him down."

I stood up and began walking towards the tree with the boy. Actually, now that I think about it, this might be less of a favor to my blue-haired friend and more of a chance to become at least tolerated by the other nuns for the rest of my stay. Maybe they'll be nice enough – though they probably won't – to let me have any mice crawling around this orphanage.

But just when I was halfway there, the boy lost balance and fell off the branch. I'd better save him, or else Felicia would be pissed at me. And so, I leapt forward and landed on my stomach right under him.

Gah! The kid's heavier than he looks!

"Are you alright?" the nun asked – the kid, obviously – as she helped the burden off my back. "I told you to get down from there! Tonight, you'll be helping with washing the dishes!"

No, please, don't mind the crushed cat/human hybrid lying on the ground with a broken back because he saved an ungrateful brat. Ignore me in favor of scolding a boy who climbs trees and falls off for a hobby. I wish I was born in Egypt, where cats are worshipped by the people.

Oh, who am I kidding? I would probably be treated the same as here.

When the sound of children and a scolding nun died down, I turned around to lie on my back. I got a clear view of Felicia, who was smiling warmly as she walked towards me. "You did the right thing, John," she said. Well, at least there's one person praising me.

"Yay. I saved the day. Whoop-de-do," I replied sarcastically, sitting up. It doesn't surprise me that Felicia's the only one to praise me, what with her both being a fellow Darkstalker and the only person for miles to have a heart of the shiniest gold.

I was surprised when she placed her right hand on my head and patted me as if I'm some sort of pet. "I'm proud of you," she said, as if I was her child or something. Best not to think more on that last remark. "If you'll excuse me, I have some children to look after."

I shrugged, stood up, and began walking back to the orphanage. "I'm gonna go catch some Z's in my bedroom, where noisy kids can't bother me," I told her. "See you 'round dinnertime."

I can still feel where she touched my head. It feels a little nice…

* * *

Ah… finally, some peace and quiet.

I'd thought I'd get some nice, undisturbed sleep when I went to my room. I was dead wrong. Instead of children screaming, running around and pestering me, I heard nothing but the loud TV and cheering from those who were watching it, followed by the shouting of several nuns for them to turn it down. And they did turn it down… for five minutes before cranking the noise back up. And this went on for the rest of the afternoon and evening, stopping only when it was time for dinner.

It was pure hell on my poor ears.

But now, with pretty much everyone having gone to bed, I can finally relax and get some well-deserved shuteye. Alright, Mr. Sandman, I've got my ticket; let me aboard the express train to Dreamland. And on that trip, I'd like to order a dream filled with fish slowly swimming through the air, lakes of tasty milk, and yarn balls littering all over the ground. Oh – and a side helping of canary birds unable to fly, slow-moving mice, and a massive litter box for my-

"…_Mew…_"

What the…? Did I just hear that right?

"…_Mew…_"

I did! I jumped out of bed and opened my window. Oh, I see… The full moon is up on the sky. That's why there's a calling.

Nobody has any idea what the hell I'm talking about. Okay, to put it bluntly, a 'calling' is when cats close to each other gather and meow at the full moon, singing a symphony for the felines. But this is not an organized event that happens _every _full moon like lycanthropy, oh no; it's completely random when it happens and where it happens and whoever participates. But, once one cat has started a calling, it gives an invitation to other cats to join it by its side and 'sing' along.

And I'm not one to refuse such an offer. Time to transform!

Yes, I said it. Transform. You see, as I've mentioned and Felicia's proven, mostly all Darkstalkers have the ability to take on a human form. But when it comes to me – and, I assume, Felicia – there's also the ability to transform into a cat. To be precise, a domestic cat, not any big and strong tiger or lion – that's a transformation that requires growing bigger, and whenever I transform, I usually shrink.

I could feel my bones cracking and shrinking as I transformed. Whenever I transform, my face pushes out into a muzzle, fur grows to cover all of my body, my fingers and toes fuse together to become actual paws, I go from being bipedal to quadruped, and of course, I shrink. When one sees me in this form, I look like a normal cat with white fur and some bluish fur on the top of my head.

I jumped out the window and onto the branch of a nearby tree. As far as I can tell, the song is coming from the roof of the Felicity House. Fortunately, higher branches of the tree reached the edge of the roof, from which I could easily walk up. And so, I jumped to the higher branches, leapt to the edge of the roof, and walked up until I reached the flat center part.

In front of me there were ten to twenty cats both male and female, meowing out of sync at the moon in song. Any human listening to this would see it as nothing but noise, but we felines can hear the beauty and serenity of the symphony. Boy, I've missed doing this. I can't remember when last time I gathered with other cats – maybe five or ten years ago.

I took a few steps towards them, and then they got my scent and turned around to look at me. "Mind if I join?" I asked. Oh – I wanna point this out to you: whenever I speak in cat form, it sounds like nothing but meows to non-feline beings.

"Mew," the cats replied welcomingly and moved aside to give me a place to sit. If I could smile in this form, I would. Cats have always been the only friendly creatures throughout my life.

I took a seat next to the group and joined their singing. My singing is just as off-key as the other's, but that's mostly because each cat likes to meow in the melody of a song he or she has heard. For those of you who're curious, I'm meowing to the melody of _Smooth Criminal_. It sounds like "Meow-meow me-ow? Meow me-ow? Meow-meow, me-ow?"

"Can I join?"

The singing stopped as everyone, including me, turned around to look at the newcomer. It was a white cat, female, with a lock of blue hair growing out of its head. I didn't even need to look at her to tell who she is – her scent gave her away. "Sure, Felicia," I replied, while the other cats gave another "Mew" and shuffled to make room.

After she took a seat to my right, we resumed singing. I can't tell what melody she's meowing to, but… it sounds good – her singing, too. Makes me wonder how she sounds like when she's singing in her normal or human shape. Maybe I can eavesdrop of her if the kids ask her to sing a song for them, if I'm lucky. Nah… Knowing my luck, that won't happen.

An hour later, we were all done and started to scatter off to our respective 'homes'. All who were remaining now were Felicia and I. "This was a great evening," I said to her.

"Ditto," she replied, looking right into my face. "But next time, how about singing a different tune?"

I'll say it again: I would smile if I could in this form. "What, you mean like _Thriller_?" I suggested jokingly. Actually, let me try that. "Meow-meow-meow-meeeeeoooooooooow! Meow-meow-meow!"

Her laughing interrupted my singing, and I laughed along. Alright, I get what you mean. No singing songs in cat form that involves too much beat. After she calmed herself down, she suggested, "Go for some slower songs in the future."

I gave a short nod and turned to the tree outside my bedroom window. "See you tomorrow, Felicia."

"Pleasant dreams, John," she called after me.

Mr. Sandman, I still want that reservation… but please add Felicia to it, okay?

* * *

dopliss: The chapter is shorter than the first one, but I'm a little new at focusing more on drama than action. But don't worry, 'cause there'll be action in the third one!

Pyron: Already introducing another Darkstalker, are we?

dopliss: I won't say anything.


	3. The Brawl

**(dopliss's stomach growls)**

**dopliss: Man, I'm getting hungry. Hey, Pyron, can't we use you for a barbeque?**

**Pyron (offended): You insufferable moron. The fires that make my body are of the power of a blazing inferno. There is no way I will use them just so you can roast a pitiful piece of meat.**

**dopliss: I'll let you eat the coal in the grill.**

**Pyron: …Well, if you put it like that…**

**Disclaimer: This story is based on Capcom's overlooked fighting game, Darkstalkers. Seriously, they need to make more sequels than remakes.**

* * *

Ah… I can feel my body getting better and better for each passing day.

I think I've been here for four days now, which would make today the fifth of October. A Tuesday… Never really bothered with the days of the week, to be honest; I'm more concerned about the time of day, not the name. Actually, no, I don't think about the time, either. All I know is that when the sun rises, it's the start of the day, and when the moon rises, it's the end of it. When you're a wandering soul with no place to stay or any ways to get information, you should at least learn about when it's day and night.

The third and fourth had nothing exciting in particular happen. It was mostly a daily routine; wake up, eat breakfast, waste time, eat lunch, waste more time, eat dinner, waste more time again, and go to sleep. The most exciting thing that happened was yesterday, when the kids all had to be taught by the nuns. It was mostly basic stuff like English grammar and math and religion (by which I mean Christianity – as if they'd teach them anything else). Never bothered with school in my life, either; I just learned a few bits and pieces by reading some old, worn-out textbooks that some threw out.

I'm at least glad they don't teach 'Darkstalker Biology' around here. I bet the nuns would gladly cut me open just to get rid of me for good. Except for Felicia, of course.

Speaking of which, I've not had a good talk with her ever since we were at the calling Saturday night. Remember when I said my two last days involved wasting time? Yeah, that's because she's been too busy with the brats around here. The only times I saw her were when we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner, and even then she was too busy talking with the other nuns. I bet they're plotting to keep her busy so she wouldn't socialize with me.

Bitches.

Not today, however. I'll get a nice talk with Felicia; maybe even have lunch together with her, away from the others. No way are they keeping my only friend and fellow Darkstalker away from me!

Alright, time to get up, Johnny-boy. How long have I been sleeping, anyway? I jumped out of bed and walked over to the window. The sun's already setting. Geez, man! You should get up earlier! Well, whatever. I opened my window and took a huge whiff at the cool autumn air.

Wait a second… Several scents are missing from the Felicity House. Including Felicia's. Where did they all go?

I walked out of my room and went down to the dining room, where a couple of the nuns were watching the news. The newscaster was blabbing away about economics and all that. I have no money; why would I give a damn about economics? "Hey," I called to them.

The two ladies turned around in surprise, but then they gave me a loathing glare that I've gotten used to whenever humans see me. "Yes? What do you want?" one of them asked. I could just taste the disgust in her voice.

I ignored her animosity towards me, just like I always do to others. "You know where Felicia is? I can't smell her."

The other nun cleared her throat and glared at me, as if she's got a higher authority than me. Humans always pretend to be tough whenever I'm around, but I can easily sense the fear in them. However, since I've been here for a while, I guess they're not that afraid of me. Felicia must've told them to just look at me like I'm a big pussycat. "Well, if you absolutely must know," she said, "Sister Felicia has gone to the closest village along with the children to do some grocery shopping."

Uh-huh. Good to know. "And the closest village is in what direction?" I asked.

"Oh, you would _love _to know, huh?"

Oh, damn… I know that voice. I turned my head around and, true enough, the Mother Superior stood behind me, looking sour. "I will not let you corrupt Sister Felicia with your presence or try to do anything to the children while nobody's looking," she said sternly.

Great… _this_ again… I let out a deep sigh and turned around to fully face her. She took a step backwards, probably because she's worried I'd do something to her. I like juicy meat, but not human meat. "If I wanted to do something bad to you all, don't you think I would've done it already?" I asked. "Now tell me where that village is, and I'll be out of your covered hair for the rest of the day."

She huffed and puffed herself up menacingly. Considering her fat state, she didn't need to puff herself up. And she doesn't look menacing in the slightest – hell, I've met _puppies_ more terrifying than her. "Alright, then," she gave in. "I will tell you, but _only _if you promise not to hurt her or the children."

I rolled my eyes. This whole 'oh no, a monster will eat and kill all of us!' thing is really starting to get on my nerves. "I promise," I said.

"Swear to God?"

Keep calm, John. Don't use her as a piñata, no matter how much you want to. "I swear to my god that I won't lay my hands on Felicia or the children with any evil intent."

She let out a big sigh. "Okay, then. Just walk out the backdoor and keep heading forwards. You'll reach the village after a couple of minutes."

Ha! She bought it! I don't pray to any deity whatsoever! But I will keep my promise. "Thanks," I said and walked towards the backdoor. Oh – I should probably warn her. "By the way," I called over my shoulder, "if I find out you've lied to me, I'll give you a tummy tuck you'll _die_ for."

I didn't bother taking some food with me – they might've spiked it with poison. I'll just find something to eat when I reach the village.

* * *

The Mother Superior did lie to me… but only partially. I managed to find a village by walking in the given direction. But the time it took to get there was _way more _than a few minutes. I swear, I've been walking for two hours straight to get here. Before I leave that orphanage forever, I'll deliver a little present in her bedroom.

Anyway, the first thing I did upon entering the small town was find an alley to hide in. If I let just _one _human see me, the whole neighborhood's gonna know, and then all hell will break loose. Besides, I need something to eat, and even if I wouldn't be hunted upon sight, I've got no money. But I was fortunate enough to find two mice behind a dumpster. It was pretty awkward when I snatched them and ate them. They were mating, you see.

I really, really, _really _hope the male mouse didn't ejaculate when I put it in my mouth.

Oh god, that mental image! I'm gonna have nightmares, for sure!

But, through some sort of luck, I managed to find a disguise in the alley. And hey, if I'm gonna be looking for Felicia and the kids, I might as well do it while incognito. Unfortunately, though, the disguise was one of the worst ones I've ever seen – a child's Halloween costume is better than this. Hell, Charlie Brown's ghost costume is better than this!

Don't believe me? Get ready for this.

My disguise consisted of a gravy-stained white bathrobe that went down to my knees, a pair of boxing gloves that was so worn-out that my claws can easily rip them apart with no effort whatsoever, a pair of gag glasses complete with a fake nose, overly-bushy eyebrows and mustache, and pictures of eyes in the frames, a top hat with more holes in it than Swiss cheese, and to top it all off… a pair of overly-big bunny slippers adorned my feet.

Go ahead and laugh.

I am now walking down the streets in my human form and wearing that eyesore of a disguise. I can just _feel _the weird gazes passersby sent me, and I could even hear their sniggering in my human form, where my senses are degraded to that of humans'. I don't care – the quicker I find Felicia, the quicker I can ditch this clown suit.

Ah – a bar. If there's one thing detective movies have taught me, it's that you can always find necessary information at a bar. It _is_ cliché, but it's better than being laughed at out here.

The bar, when I walked inside of it, looked stereotypical to me. Round tables, dozens of barstools, the reek of alcohol, the many loud customers, the bartender… yup, it's a bar to the T, alright.

Unfortunately, though, the many men in here all took one quick look at me before bursting out into laughter. At least the people outside were only sniggering… I walked up to the bartender, who looked to be at the verge of laughing his head off, and placed both glove-clad hands on the counter. "Hey, I'd like to ask you something," I said.

"If it's about fashion tips, then wait a moment so I can call my wife," he replied jokingly.

Not funny. "Have you seen a nun and a group of children walk around here?" I asked.

He slowly nodded. Does that mean he does know? "You guys are a little early for Halloween." Oh… He's still making fun of me.

"The nun is _actually_ a nun, and the kids are _not _in costumes," I said with a tone somewhere between annoyed and angry. "Have you seen them or not?"

"Hey, jackass!" I heard one of the customers shout. "Weird Al Yankovic called – he wants his costume for his next concert back." Following that stupid insult, others began laughing.

You know what? Screw this. It's just not worth it. "Hey, you," I said to the bartender. "You mentioned something about Halloween, right? Well, let's see if you like _this_ scare."

And that's when I ditched my disguise. First, I took off the slippers and boxing gloves. Then, I transformed back to my normal form and took off the rest of my eyesore of a costume. The entire bar became absolutely silent the moment everyone saw the real me. I didn't look at all of the humans, but the bartender's face gave me a clear view on how they all looked: eyes wide, mouth agape and quivering, sweat suddenly raining down the face, and a losing battle to not piss themselves.

Who's laughing now? Completely calm, I glared the bartender in the eyes and said, "I'll ask again. Did you see them or not?"

The man slowly shook his head, obviously too scared to speak right to my face. Well… looks like the cliché didn't help me in the slightest. This whole thing's been one huge waste of time. But at least I managed to scare a group of grown men to nearly wetting themselves. Sighing, I turned around and walked towards the exit.

My way out was stopped when I suddenly heard a metallic sound on my left. Turning my head slightly, I saw one of the customers standing with a shotgun aimed at my head. "Y-You've got some nerve, walking in here, Darkstalker!" he said. Hmm… shaky voice, shivering legs, sweat running down his brow… He's afraid of me.

I sighed, grabbed the muzzle of the gun, and bent it upwards. The man was so shocked, he pulled the trigger, causing the shotgun to blast a small hole in the roof. Good thing I've got pads on my palms, otherwise I might get burned. "You know, challenging a Darkstalker is a bad idea when you're human," I stated. "And that's because of one reason and one reason only."

Before the man knew what happened, I yanked the shotgun out of his hands, grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up, and slammed him down on one of the tables, completely breaking it. With a smirk on my lips, I let go of the man and turned to the other customers. "I'm _way_ stronger than all of you combined," I finished. That oughta teach them all a lesson.

All of the customers then stood up from their chairs and advanced towards me, pounding their fists. Lesson failed, I see. Well, then I guess I've gotta teach them the hard way.

When one man threw a punch from my right, I grabbed his fist with my right hand and dug my claws into it. Another man tried the same tactic on my left, and the result was the same. 'Those who fail from the past are doomed to repeat it,' indeed. Both men then reeled back their free fists, probably thinking they could hit me now. I proved them wrong by leaping over them, flipping in midair, and slamming these two morons into the floor. I let go of both of them and dodged a bottle getting thrown at me.

I leapt over to the guy who threw it at me, made a handstand in front of him, grabbed his head with my feet, and pulled him backwards to slam his face into the floor. After that, another guy came up to me and started throwing several punches, which I managed to dodge with so little effort that I didn't even had to move my feet. The moron in front of me seemed to realize that his strategy isn't working, so he threw a right hook at me. The moment he tried to hit me, I ducked and swept his feet away, followed by a kick to the gut that sent him flying into the wall behind him.

Then, I saw four men run towards me, fists raised. Using my prehensile tail as a third leg, I managed to block one of their fists each with my hands and feet. And since I'm not one to let a human attack me while I'm restrained, I bounced off my tail to leap over the ones whose attacks I blocked with my feet, carrying the ones I blocked with my hands with me, and then spun around and hit anyone nearby with my two human weapons. When I had knocked down twelve of them, I let go of the men in mid-spin and sent them flying into some of their friends.

I turned around and glared at the last one that was standing. Feeling mischievous, I leapt right in front of him and smirked right in his face. "Go ahead, pal. Hit me. Right here," I goaded, tapping my lips with a finger.

Even though he looked scared, he fell for my trap and reeled back his right fist. Sucker. The moment right before his fist could connect, I opened my mouth and bit down on his knuckles. He screamed in pain and quickly drew his hand back, rubbing it. "My turn!" I declared and socked him right in his face, sending him flying backwards into a table.

Ah… that should do it. Now I just need some sort of witty quip to say. Hmm… 'Blood is thicker than beer'? No, that doesn't make sense at all. 'Free hangovers for everyone!'? No, that's just lame.

My ears and nose suddenly sensed a presence closing in on me from behind. The bartender must be trying to kill me on his own. I'll beat him without using my hands, feet, head, or any other limb any normal human (hint-hint) possesses. With a mighty swing of my tail, I slapped him on the side of his head and sent him crashing into some of the stools.

I then turned around to look at the fine mess I've made. Other than the countless unconscious bodies lying around, mostly all of the tables and barstools were knocked over, and the handset of the phone behind the counter was off. Wait… why's the handset off? Could the bartender have called the cops while I dealt with his customers?

I don't wanna find out. I quickly ran outside the door, hurried into the nearest alley, and then used my claws and catlike lithe to scale one of the walls until I was onto a rooftop. As I suspected, the sound of sirens soon filled the air, and I saw several police cars come racing to the bar. I don't wanna be spotted by these guys – taking care of a bunch of humans is child's play, but taking care of a bunch of humans with guns is something more challenging.

Turning into my cat form, I casually leapt from roof to roof until I was out of eyesight and earshot. It's time to go home.

* * *

The sun had set when I returned to the Felicity House. I would've walked in the front door, but both it and all other doors were locked. I just _know _the Mother Superior planned to send me on a wild goose chase and ensure I never 'befoul the holiness of this orphanage' ever again. Thankfully, I have an insider to help me.

Crawling up the right tree in cat form, I found the window belonging to Felicia's bedroom. I could see her inside, in her real form, stretching her body on all fours, just like I normally do. Wow… she really _does _have a gorgeous body. I'm surprised she's not the wife of somebody. Actually, no, I'm not surprised – if she was married to someone, he absolutely had to be one who would know of her real self yet still love her. But still, I do wonder why she became a nun in the first place. She told me she built this orphanage to make everyone happy, but that doesn't explain why she became a nun.

Whatever – it's not my business. I leapt to her windowsill and scratched on the pane. She jumped up the moment I did and turned her head frantically in my direction. Why would she be shocked by _that_? She's a Darkstalker – she's got nobody to be afraid of. She walked over to the window and opened it. Good thing I know these windows open inward. "Jesus – you scared me," she said as I jumped into her room.

I transformed back to my normal form and stood up on my feet. "You're telling me," I replied. "You looked like a victim on a poster from a horror flick."

She crossed her arms and looked skeptically at me. "You could've been a burglar – or worse: a hostile Darkstalker."

I shrugged. "How many burglars do you know who scratch your window in order to alert you?"

I then noticed her nose sniffing the air and her eyes going down my body. …Why, I wonder? "You've been fighting today, haven't you?"

What the…? How did she—? Wait… I smell it now. Blood… I looked down at my hands and saw some red fur on my right one. Some blood must've been smeared on it when I punched that last customer. This isn't a situation I can lie myself out of, so I'd better tell the truth. "Yeah… A bar brawl…" I replied.

She gave me a disappointed look. Those friendly eyes of hers… when they give you a look like that, it hurts a little. "John… you promised me you wouldn't get into a fight," she said. Geez… that makes me feel worse.

"Look, I'm sorry," I apologized. I _really _don't want us to not be friends until we part ways. "I warned them about trying to fight me, but they didn't listen, and I fought back in self-defense. Besides, all I did was knock them out, not kill them."

She sighed. "Well… I guess I can forgive you – but _this time_ only."

Phew… off the hook for now. Time to lighten the mood! "Hey, at least _one_ positive thing happened from that," I said, stretching my arms. "My body's back in tiptop shape."

Her expression lightened a little bit. "Oh…? Well, that's good!" she replied. "Then you're soon ready to go."

Oh… that… Actually, as of right now, I don't really want to leave this place. Felicia, she's… she's been so kind to me and risked so much just so I could recover. I really hoped my recovery would take much longer than this, just so I could spend more time with her.

I… I don't want to say 'goodbye forever' to the only friend I've ever had. "Yeah… I guess…" I replied, looking away from her, my ears flattened against my head. "I think I'll leave Friday – then I've been here for a whole week." I then turned around and opened the door leading out to the hallway.

"I-I wondered where you were during dinner, so I brought you some leftovers to your room," I heard her say.

"Thanks. Goodnight, Felicia." And with that, I closed the door and walked back towards my room.

I don't want to leave… I really don't… But Felicia's done so much for me already, and I don't wanna risk her getting into more trouble with the others. I guess there's no choice.

I promised I would leave as soon as I'd recovered… and unfortunately, that's a promise I _have _to keep.

* * *

dopliss: Well, that's my first attempt at a first-person fighting scene. Hope you like the chapter and will stick along for the next chapter, which will change everything for our main characters!

Pyron (from inside a grill): You insufferable mortal! How dare you humiliate me like this! Unleash me right now, or suffer the consequences!

dopliss: But, if I let you out, you'll punish me anyway.

Pyron: Whether you release me or not, you _**will **_suffer!


	4. The Fire

**Pyron (breaking out of the grill in an inferno): Now you will pay for what you did to me, mortal!**

**(dopliss sprays Pyron with a fire extinguisher)**

**dopliss: There we go. Problem solved.**

**Disclaimer: Darkstalkers belongs to Capcom, who really should pay attention to their other franchises.**

* * *

It's Thursday evening now. Once the sun rises tomorrow, I'm gonna have to leave this place. After all, I promised I would.

This week hasn't been all that bad. Sure, I got in a fight with humans in a local town, and my relationship with the nuns and the kids living here at the Felicity House has been very crappy, but other than that, I've had some fun. I've fully recovered my strength and I'm in perfect shape to walk onwards on my journey to nowhere, I had a lot of fun meowing with the other cats Saturday night, and I've never slept any more comfy for the last two weeks.

But the one thing I enjoyed the most… was meeting Felicia. She's the only one who's actually been friendly and kinda protective of me… and not to mention, she's just like me, a Darkstalker. I feel we've really formed a healthy friendship ever since we met last Friday in this very room.

That's why I find it so damn hard to make myself leave. I'm positive that once I walk away from this orphanage tomorrow morning, I'll never see her again. I'd probably end up dead in a couple of months, anyway; either as a rotting corpse for vultures to eat or as a decorative in a human's house. I can just see myself ending up as the latter, being nothing but a head on the wall with my face altered to look goofy, or my skin spread out on the floor like a carpet for people to walk around and wipe their feet on.

But alas… in a few hours, when the sun is rising on Friday morning, I will be walking away, leaving behind a bunch of nuns and kids who're more than happy to see me leave… and the one true friend I've ever had. If only I could spend just a little more time with her, but she and the other nuns are probably busy right now with the kids.

"Hey – are you sure this is a good idea?"

…I don't recognize that voice. It sounds too old to be one of the older kids here, and it sounds too male to be one of the nuns.

"Relax, dude. We won't get in trouble for this – I promise."

Another unknown voice – a slightly older one than the first… They're both coming from outside. I got out of my bed and went over to the window. All the way down on the ground, there stood two boys. From what I can tell, they're in their very early twenties, probably still living at their parents' home. There was also a small bottle lying on the ground… and a very strange smell came from down there…

"I don't know… won't we get scolded by our parents for this?" one of them asked nervously. He must be the youngest one of the duo.

"Don't be such a pussy," the other boy replied. That sentence alone is enough to make him the bossy elder kid. "You want payback for what happened to your dad, right? Then stop complaining, already."

"But… I don't think we can take on a _Darkstalker, _let alone live to tell the tale."

I see… It's me they're after. Those two morons apparently underestimate me – well, _one _of them is underestimating me. Should I leap down and scare them off now, or should I wait until they're trying to do whatever they're planning to do.

"Besides, isn't this orphanage full of innocent people?" the younger one asked.

The elder boy shrugged. "Dunno. But even if there is, I'm sure they're smart enough to leave the building." Now I'm curious. What could they possibly do that would make everyone leave the Felicity House?

That's when I saw something bright in the elder boy's hand, and then it spread to the side of the building. Wait… Holy shit! They're setting the orphanage on fire! Are they crazy?!

"Hey, you bastards!" I yelled down to them. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Even from this height, I could see the fear in their eyes when they looked up at me. "Oh fuck! It's the monster!" the eldest boy gasped, before he and his companion made a run for it.

I would've chased after the two, but the flames were spreading at a freakishly fast rate. Either this is the most preferable way of killing monsters, or else it might be some sort of karmic act of revenge for that one time ten years ago when I called Aquaman a useless tuna fish who's the result of a dolphin mating a human woman. If he actually existed, I swear he'd be laughing his scaly ass off at my predicament.

Wait, what the hell am I doing? The Felicity House is on fire, and instead of running around the orphanage while it's still there warning everybody in it, I'm thinking of a superhero from _DC Comics_! Pull yourself together, man, and get your ass in gear!

I quickly ran over to the door, tore it open, and rushed down the hallway. I really hope everyone's downstairs so I can get them out easier. I reached the stairs, rushed down on all fours, and looked around the dining room. Damn! I can only see a two of the nuns and a handful of the children! "Everyone, get outside – now!" I shouted. "The building's on fire!"

They all turned to look at me… but instead of looking at me with wide eyes filled with terror, they just gave me a glance of what I highly believe is doubt. "Are you sure?" one of the nuns asked me.

Seems like Felicia's not put in a word great enough for them to believe whatever I'm saying, even if it's something that involves their lives being in danger. If I wasn't friends with her, I'd just get out of here and leave the others to sit around twiddling their thumbs until they smell something burning – namely their own flesh. "Look – you guys have two ways to fully believe what I said is true," I said, holding up one of my clawed fingers. "One: just trust what I said is true and walk out of the orphanage along with everyone else." I held up another finger. "Two: wait here until you get sent to Heaven by the fires of Hell."

They seemed to believe me. Alright, threatening someone on their life _is _a very effective way of convincing someone, I admit, but I think they're thinking they're dead either way – either from burning to death in their home or from their stupid little fantasy about me going 'slasher flick villain' on them.

While they were gathering the rest of the nuns and children, I went over to the front door, tore it off its hinges, and stood outside and kept my eyes at the doorway as the flames – which were now slowly approaching first floor – ate away at the house. I really hope they're all gonna get out of there unharmed and alive. Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely indifferent towards pretty much all of them, but… I'm sure that if someone died, Felicia would be devastated and break into tears and probably scream at me, saying she never wants to see me again. I don't want that.

Slowly but steadily, some of the nuns and kids exited the burning building, followed by more and more as seconds passed. 25, 26, 27… I kept counting until all of them were outside. 34… 35… 36… 37… 38… 39…

The counting stopped at 39. One's still in there! Wait… I know who's missing! I quickly turned to the other nuns and demanded, "Where's Felicia?! Didn't any of you warn her?!"

The kids began muttering to themselves, probably just as worried as I. "I-I told Sister Maria to warn her!" the Mother Superior replied shakily.

"I went to her room and warned her!" one of the lesser nuns said. "I knocked on her door and—!"

"You just _knocked on her door_?!" I practically screamed. How stupid can someone be?! Your home is burning down, and instead of yanking your friends or family members away from what they're doing, someone is actually enough of a moron to just knock on a door and tell someone to leave!

No! Don't go on a rant, John! You know what you must do!

Without any regrets, I turned right back around and dashed into the Felicity House's burning structure. From what I've learned, running back into a burning building is usually a very bad move that usually leads to the one stupid enough to do it dying brutally, but I'll at least try to get her out.

My eyes widened in shock upon reentering the dining room. From what I saw from my bedroom window, the fire was small yet growing rapidly, and it didn't look to be that threatening on the outside when the others had left the building. But the inside was a total inferno! The tapestry, the furniture… everything was burning wildly! How could this have happened in just less than a minute?!

This is bad! This is very, very bad! I've gotta find Felicia and get her out of here, pronto!

I dashed up the burning staircase, ran down the hallway on all fours, reached Felicia's bedroom, and kicked the door in. She's not in here. Could she be in her bathroom? I quickly walked over to the bathroom door and knocked on it. "Felicia! Are you in there?!" I called.

"J-John?!" I heard a shaky female voice gasp. Good… that means she's still alive and well. "Why're you sounding so upset?"

"The orphanage is on fire!" How many times have I mentioned that by now? "You have to get outta there!"

"I-I can't right now!" I heard her reply. "I'm in the middle of… you know, 'doing my business'!"

Great! Just… great! Her home is on fire, and instead of getting out as quickly as possible, she's pooping. "Okay – I'll wait for you right here," I told her. "The moment you're done, don't even bother washing your hands – just open the door and get outta here with me."

"Eehehehe! Burn! Burn!"

What the…?! Where did that voice come from?!

Wait… My nose… it's picking up a smell other than the one of burning stuff.

It's the smell of a Darkstalker! And he's got friends with him!

I quickly turned around and saw the monsters. There were five of them, each about the size of a bear cub and on fire. And they certainly weren't pretty; their big noses, grinning mouths filled with sharp teeth, and bug-eyes attested to that. Narrowing my eyes and glaring at them, I demanded, "Who're you guys, and how did you get in here?"

The creatures giggled madly. I guess they must be bat-shit insane. "We are Fire Imps!" one answered with a very arrogant tone.

"We love fire!" another stated. As if I couldn't have guessed _that_.

"Whenever someone starts big fire, we come and spread it more!" a third continued.

"We help burn the place down!" a fourth exclaimed excitedly.

"Burn it down! Burn it down!" the fifth and final one cheered.

How ironic; those two kids set this place on fire to get rid of a Darkstalker, but ended up summoning five more to cause way more harm than intended.

"John? Is everything all right on your side?"

Aw, crap! This is _not_ a good time to befriend other monsters. "Don't worry, Felicia," I replied through the bathroom door. "It's just some unexpected visitors. I'll take care of them."

While I told her that, the Fire Imps were jumping on the bed and in her drawers, setting whatever they touched aflame. "Whee! Whee! Underwear burns so good!" one of them cheered.

…I didn't know she _wore_ underwear, considering she's a—

No! Focus, John! _Focus_!

"Hey – you heard the kitty talk to someone just now?" another imp asked his friends. This will not end well.

"Yeah!" a third giggled. "She sounded cute for a human." And if they think she's human, this will end catastrophically.

"Humans burn so nicely! Especially the ones with fat!" a fourth stated.

"Then we know what we must do…" the final one began.

As if they've rehearsed it, they all gave a cry of "Burn the human!"

This is the point where I protect the damsel in distress. "Like hell you will!" I hissed at them, baring my teeth and claws.

The little bastards just giggled at me. I'll make sure to wipe those stupid grins off their faces. One of them lunged at me, and I replied with a strong kick to the face.

YOW! HOT! HOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOT! MY FOOT IS ON FIRE! OWOWOWOWOWOWOW!

As the Fire Imps laughed their asses off, I quickly put out the fire on my foot by shaking it wildly. I'm _really _lucky that worked, considering I'm in a burning building right now.

Lesson learned. Never kick something that's on fire. _Ever_!

"'Like hell we will', eh?" one of these ugly jerks snickered. "Keep fighting, and we're gonna turn you into _un gatito quema_!"

Was that Spanish? The only language I know how to speak is English. So whatever those last words mean, I can't tell what they mean. But coming out of the mouth of a hideous, insane, fire-loving imp, it's probably not something good.

Oh! Perfect timing! I just heard a flushing sound. Felicia must be done now! Now she just needs to unlock the door, and then we can…

Now I hear water running. You have _got _to be kidding me.

"You don't need to wash your hands!" I half-shouted to her.

"I have to keep up my personal hygiene!" I heard her shout back.

Lady, if I die because of you wasting time, I don't care how good you've been in your life – I'm taking you straight to Hell with me!

I quickly leapt out of the way when the five burning jerks came charging at me. Well, if I can't hit them without getting hurt more than them, then I'd better find a weapon. And since this is a bedroom in an orphanage, I have to improvise. I made another leap and landed in front of the dresser, AKA my temporary secondary weapon. With my superhuman strength, lifting the thing was easy. I then took position and quickly swung it around. I could feel the impact in my hands, and I saw two of the Fire Imps crash into the wall on my left.

If people didn't act towards me like they do, maybe I could've been a baseball player.

It was an endless cycle. They leapt at me, I swung my furniture into them, they crashed into the walls, and then they got right back up and leapt at me again. No matter how hard I swung, they kept coming back for more. After the fifth attempt, I couldn't help but just shout, "Why won't you just give up?!"

The burning assholes just laughed at me. "Fire is good for us!" one replied.

"If we're in flames, they'll heal us quicker than lightning strikes!" another continued.

_Great_! This really _is _and endless cycle. I'm probably relatable to a rock in a river, getting hit by a never-ending stream of flowing water.

Flowing water…

I can't hear the water anymore! Felicia must be done now!

_Please _let her be done!

With a final swing of the dresser, I sent two of the imps crashing into the bed, threw my furniture-slash-weapon at them, and quickly leapt over to the bathroom door just in time to hear the click of the lock. Wonderful! I then saw Felicia when she tore the door open, completely dressed in her nun outfit. "Let's get outta here!" she said. I'm just glad to hear someone other than me say it today.

I then heard the Fire Imps giggle and make a battle cry. My best guess is that the sight of a 'human' caused them to get really excited and made them want to do nothing but burn her. Not letting them get their burning hands on her, I quickly shielded her with my body. I hissed in great pain when they collided with my back.

And here I thought my foot getting caught on fire hurts. Compared to that, my back now feels like a warzone that's been bombed thrice over for no good reason whatsoever.

"John! Are you all right?!" Felicia gasped.

"Just dandy," I replied sarcastically as I picked her up bridal style. "Now that you're done doing your business, I'd like us to get the hell outta here before we go to Hell."

I jumped over a tackling imp and dashed out the door. Best bet right now is going down the stairs and leaving through one of the doors. As I ran to the staircase, I couldn't help but notice the fear and sorrow in Felicia's eyes. I can't blame her; I would, too, if I saw what I'd spent years to achieve just crumble away before my eyes. I reached the staircase and…

Shit! The entire main floor is on fire! And now that I know how painful it is to have your foot on fire for a couple of seconds, there's no way, no how, I'm going down there. There must be _one _other way outta here…

I looked around and saw a window at the other end of the hallway. Hmm… That'll have to do. "Felicia," I told, "make sure to curl yourself into a ball as much as you possibly can and hold tightly on to me."

"Okay," she replied. With the lack of complains and questions, I guess she's as willing to get outta here as I am.

Running as fast as I could on two legs, I sprinted towards the window. I'm quite a glutton for pain today. With a rolling leap that made my back hit the window, I broke through it and flipped back right-side-up, just in time to leap off a tree branch and back to the wall, which I also leaped off of and landed on the ground, followed by me moving away from the orphanage.

I'd say that performance was worth at least an eight out of ten.

I spotted the other nuns and the kids a bit further away, so I ran up to them and placed Felicia on her feet. I see that one of the nuns has a cell phone in her hand. That must mean she's called the firemen to come here as quickly as possible. Good. With them putting out the fire, the Fire Imps are probably gonna have to hightail it outta there, or hopefully die.

As the other nuns checked up on Felicia, asking her if she's okay and whatnot, I saw the Mother Superior walk directly up to me, with quite the angry expression on her face. Ten bucks says she's about to scold me. "You fiendish child of the Devil!" she all but screamed at me. "Look at what you've done!"

Wait a minute… "Are you seriously accusing me of burning the Felicity House?" I asked. I have the worst possible feeling about what's going to happen.

"Of course I am! Who else could it possibly be?"

"Uh… the two dumbasses I saw setting the orphanage on fire?"

She gave a haughty huff. "As if _that's _true," she scoffed. "Weren't _you _the first one who warned everyone about the fire?"

"Yes, but—"

"And weren't you alone when you apparently 'saw' this fire?" she asked, complete with making quotation marks with her fingers. "If anyone's the most likely to have started the fire, it would be _you_, Darkstalker."

I'm _really _getting sick of this woman. "What could I _possibly _get from killing you all in a fire?" I asked. "_How _could I start a fire when none of you let me use anything in the kitchen?"

"Erasing all evidence of you being here in the first place, of course – and you probably found some other way of lighting the house."

Gah! This woman is _impossible _to argue with! "You know what?" I hissed. "Screw all this. I don't wanna listen to your crap any longer. So long and goodbye, ladies and brats!" And with that, I turned away from them and began walking away.

'God's forgiving and kindhearted servants' my furry ass!

"Wait a minute, Mother Superior!" I heard Felicia say. "All of this isn't Mr. Taylor's fault!" I knew she'd come to my defense, although it's too little, too late. No way will that work.

"You are right, Sister Felicia."

Wait, what? That sentence made me stop walking. If her impossible-to-work defense actually succeeded, then I really wanna hear what comes next.

"The one who's really at fault is _you_, Sister Felicia!"

Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa, WHAT?! I turned around and saw a shocked Felicia with an angry fat lady glaring at her. "Me?! You must be joking!" my blue-haired friend gasped. Yeah, I agree! What's the deal, lady?!

"Had it not been for you, the Darkstalker would not have been here, and we would not have lost our home," the Mother Superior accused. That's the biggest bullshit I've ever heard. "Had you only listened to what we had told you, this would not have happened."

"T-That's absurd!" Felicia shot back. "I just did what God would've done: saved an innocent being from an early death!"

"No. You let this spawn of Lucifer live, which is one of the biggest treasons against our Lord."

"How many times do I have to tell you? Mr. Taylor was not made by the Devil!"

The fat lady's look turned very grim. "Felicia… the others and myself have discussed your drastic decision, and we have all agreed that you no longer should be among us."

What the…?! She can't do that to her! "W-What are you saying?!" Felicia gasped. "But, I build this orphanage! If it wasn't for me, none of you would've been here today!"

"You have strayed from the path of God ever since that day, and you finally turned your back on Him the moment you helped that monster." The Mother Superior circled around my friend and over to the other nuns and children, who all have backed away from her. "Felicia, I think it would be best for all of us if you just left."

Alright, that does it! Doing that to me is one thing, but she hadn't done anything wrong at all! I stormed over to them, my claws ready to engrave the biggest lecture I was ever gonna give. "Alright, listen up, you guys!" I started.

I was stopped when Felicia held her hand out in my direction. "No, John. Let me," she said.

Following that, she took off her nun hat and dropped it onto the ground. Then she surprised us all by turning into her true form. I'm surprised because she blew her cover, and I'm pretty damn sure they were surprised because she just revealed her true self. She even stripped down to her birthday suit, which didn't traumatize the younger brats because of her fur. She _actually _blew her cover… She must really be pissed at their stupid decision.

"Do you see this?" she asked. "This is what I really am. I am a member of the species you claim is created from the Devil's unholy loins. I have been right there next to you for two years straight. At any time, I could have killed you. At any time, I could have eaten you, tortured you, made you my personal slaves, or sold you off to other Darkstalkers. But I didn't. Why, you ask? The answer is simple: Not all Darkstalkers are evil!" She held her left hand in my direction. "The same goes with Mr. Taylor here. Sure, he might've been a little unfriendly to you, but that's because you've been unfriendly to him in the first place! You can call us evil, inhumane, monstrous, freaks – but what you can't call us is evil!"

Wow… I didn't know the girl had it in her. She just told off her colleagues and boss, and now they're looking at her with hilarious expressions while sweating. Perfect ten, sweetheart! Perfect ten!

The Mother Superior then walked up to my friend… and slapped her across the face! What the hell is wrong with this bitch?! The fat lady even looked very angry, her fists shaking violently, as if she just wanna kill her right then and there. "You have brought shame to our home, foul beast!" she hissed. "Leave now and never return!"

I had expected Felicia to claw at the bitch, snap at her – at least threaten her as a form of payback. But no… she just gave a huff, turned away from them, and walked away. I gave them all a vicious glare and hissed at them, to which they all glared back. I would've killed them, but they're just not worth it. "Go to Hell – literally," I said and left to catch up with my fellow Darkstalker.

We then just walked along together for minutes, eventually hearing sirens that grew louder and then slowly faded into the distance. I don't know for how long we walked, but all the while… I just felt bad. I mean, I just robbed my only friend of her _home_. Who wouldn't feel like an asshole after doing something like that? I'd better try to make up with her.

"Sorry…" I apologized, rubbing my right arm in a sorta sheepishly way. "If only I didn't walk past the Felicity House… then none of this would've happened."

"No, John," I heard her say. "It's not your fault. It's them who are thinking the wrong thing about us."

Typical – she's acting like a parent reassuring her child that he didn't do something wrong. "Don't say that. Those idiots who set fire to the Felicity House did it because of me – because I got into a brawl with humans. It is my fault that—"

"John, listen." I felt her hand on my left shoulder, and I stopped walking to look at her. Her blue eyes were full of absolute seriousness. I've seen that look before – she gives it whenever she's dead serious about something. "No matter what, the fire is not your fault," she continued. "I just know you're a good person, no matter what they said about you."

How can anyone be this forgiving? "But… I cost you your home…"

She shook her head. "That… that wasn't my home. Not anymore. Today, I found out that the Felicity House is not where I belong." She let go of my shoulder and gave me a smile. "I want to find a way to make everyone happy… and now I know I can't do it there. Somewhere out there, I will find the right place where I belong."

I just stared as she walked along. She's more like me than I originally thought. It's almost as if she's my twin of the opposite sex. I couldn't help but smile at her optimism. "Hey… do you need a travel companion?" I asked.

She looked back at me and giggled. "I let you stay in my house, John – why should I say no to a proposal like that?"

And so, in the glow of the setting sun, we walked onwards to places unknown. This is gonna be a beautiful friendship.

* * *

Pyron (furious): Your clownish tricks do not work on me! Prepare to die!

dopliss: But before you do, could you explain to the readers what the Fire Imp said means?

Pyron (to the readers): The insignificant D-class Darkstalker said 'a burning kitty' in Spanish. And now, if you'll excuse me…

(Pyron turns to see that dopliss is gone)


	5. The Talk About the Past

**Pyron (while hovering above an army of fire creatures): No matter where you hide, human, I will find you! (To his minions) Go, my slaves! Find him, hurt him, and bring him to me alive so that I may inflict hundreds of thousands of different tortures upon his mortal body!**

**Disclaimer: Darkstalkers is a franchise that I don't own and one I hope will get an actual sequel (hint-hint, Capcom!).**

* * *

Ugh… I got too used to sleeping on something soft and comfy.

After the little incident that happened yesterday, Felicia and I pretty much just walked onwards until we got hungry and tired. Well, the hunger actually had a big part in our tiredness, as there was nothing to eat for miles – not even any small critters. With no other reason to stay up, we just found a flat patch of dirt and lay there, waiting for sleep that took _ages_ to come, at least from my perspective.

I really regret not staying awake long enough to find something softer to sleep on.

Opening my tired eyes, I was greeted with the setting sun's dim rays. If I remember correctly, we went to sleep after the sun was down. It's amazing that I can sleep for so long even though I'm lying on uncomfortable ground. It must be the cat half of my biology at fault. If being a member of my species is an indication, Felicia's probably still sleeping.

Hey, wait a minute… I can't see her! When I prepared to sleep, I laid my head so that I was looking at her. Why isn't she in my line of sight?

"Hey, John… are you awake yet?"

Oh… _That's_ why…

I got up on all fours, made my usual morning stretches, and then stood up on my feet. As I dusted the dirt off my body with my numb arms, I turned to look at Felicia, who was looking at me while smiling brightly and held her hands behind her back. If I hadn't seen it for myself, I'd swear that it'd be impossible for her not to smile. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Good _afternoon_, Ms. Kettle," I replied.

Her smile faded upon hearing my reply, and I could tell she became flustered by how her cheeks turned pink. This is probably the second time I've caused her to blush. Perhaps I should keep note of how many times I make her do that. "I-I'm not a hypocrite!" she protested. "I woke up before you did!" With a little trick I call 'give the little liar a probing look', I made her eyes turn away from me and her right foot grind the ground sheepishly. "…About an hour before you woke up…"

Score one for me! But enough with the gloating for now – on to matters at hand. "Well, if you've been awake for so long, I assume you've found something to eat?" I presumed.

Her eyes returned to looking at me and her smile reappeared on her face. I take this as a good sign. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands," she commanded.

Wait a minute… A possible theory just came to mind. I'm the reason why she's currently homeless, right? And any normal person would be mad at me for doing so, right? Yet she remained calm and collected, saying I'm not at fault… And now, with her little command, she could easily get revenge on me. She's probably gonna put a bomb in my hands which she made out of – I don't know – a demon penguin that can live outside of the cold environments. Or maybe she's gonna kill me, skin me alive, and then try to hitch a ride while wearing my hide like a cavewoman.

…Or maybe she'd get revenge in a less ridiculous way.

Whatever – I kinda do deserve whatever she's gonna do. I did as she told me to and closed my eyes while holding out my hands. A few seconds later, I felt something in my furry palms. It feels… kinda stiff yet fragile, and… there's some sort of familiar smell coming from it. This smell… I know what it is! It's blood! But what could feel like this and stink of blood?

"Open your eyes, silly!" I heard my blue-haired friend giggle.

I swear, it's gonna be like _The Godfather _and I'll open my eyes to see the decapitated head of a horse in my hands.

Well, here goes. I'm opening my eyes…

"Wow! That's delicious!" I exclaimed. I'm holding a dead animal, alright, but it's not a horse's head. No, it's a nest of three dead birds, one fully grown and two chicks. What a wonderful breakfast! I looked up at her and smiled. "You caught and killed all these for me?"

She giggled again. "Well, there were originally six chicks," she replied. "I just divided them up as equally as I could."

"Why, thank you, Felicia!" I sat down on the ground and put the nest in my lap. "Maybe someday I could repay the favor by getting _you_ some food."

As I began eating, I noticed her sit down on my right. Mm-mmm! These chicks are tasty! Their flesh is so juicy, and their bones just crumble away between my teeth! No wonder Felicia chose to eat four of them – they taste great! Makes me wonder what the big one tastes like.

Ooooh man – it's incredible! The mother bird's body parts just _melts _on my tongue, and its blood is like gravy on a wonderful meal! And the bones are just as crunchy as the chicks', to boot!

After I swallowed the remains of the mother bird, I threw the empty nest away and licked my fingers clean of the sweet, sweet bird blood. "Looks like you haven't had bird for a long time," I heard Felicia giggle.

I turned my head to look at her and smiled. "I haven't," I replied. "And for good reason, too – those bastards keep being unfair by flying away all the time."

Huh? Why did her smile fade? "Uh, John, would you do me the favor of keeping the cussing dialed down to mild insults?"

Oh… She's one of those goody-goodies who don't like swearwords. Whatever – it's not like it is something huge like 'could you please not take a dump in every sandbox you pass by'. "Okay, then," I agreed.

It warms my heart to see her smile return. "'A foul mouth belongs to foul people.' My mother used to tell me that when we went shopping for groceries."

Hmm… that's the second time I've heard her mention her mother. From what I can make of it, she must've been one hell of a saint.

Hmm… 'Hell of a saint'…? Sounds odd to say.

Never mind – time for some probing into my little friend's social life! "You must really like your mother if you follow her moral guidelines," I stated. I'm going to gently ease my way through in this conversation, learning as much as possible.

She turned her head and moved her gaze from me to the sky. "Yes, I do," she replied. The nostalgia just _oozes _out of her voice and shines in her eyes. "She was the greatest mother you could ever have."

'Was'? That must mean her mother is dead. "So, Felicia, how was—?"

She suddenly stood up and stretched her arms. "How about we get a move on?" she suggested while flashing me that ever-loving smile of hers. "We don't wanna sit here all day."

I smiled back and got up on my feet, as well. "Yeah – we've already _slept _here all day," I joked.

The two of us then walked onwards to nowhere, using the first five seconds of walking on laughing at my joke. Too bad she interrupted me before I got to asking her. And now that our earlier conversation has been closed, it would be kinda awkward if I asked her right now. I'd better give it a few minutes before asking my interrupted question.

La-di-dee…

Du-pi-doo…

Herpaderp…

Okay, that should be enough time. "So, Felicia, what was your childhood like?" I asked.

"Oh, that's a pretty long story…" she replied.

"I've got lots of time to hear it."

"Okay, then." She then took a deep breath. "I was born in the bright city of Las Vegas. I don't remember who my real parents are or where they are now, if they're still alive to this day, but I was adopted and raised by a nun by the name of Rose. Despite the fact that I'm not human, Rose still treated me as if I was her real daughter. She homeschooled me while I was growing up, and when other children or strangers were mean to me and made me cry, she would always cheer me up and encourage me to keep on following my happiness."

I see… She was raised by a human and treated with kindness and respect.

"When I was near adulthood, my mother died of old age, her last words telling me to search the world in order to find the place where I'm the happiest. A week after her funeral, I embarked on a journey across the country."

"So, did you find your happiness?" I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well… sort of," she answered. "As I walked from state to state, city to city, I eventually met some very special friends – other Catwomen like myself. That was when an idea struck my head. 'Why not become a pop group?' That way, we could both enjoy the luxury of being famous and spread happiness to everyone who listened to our songs." She gave me another giggle. "Believe it or not, but we were originally considering using the name 'the Pussycat Dolls'."

"…So?" I asked.

She gave me a look of confusion. "Um… don't you know about that pop group?" she asked.

"I might know a couple of songs, but only a few – and hardly any modern bands." It's true, you know. Other than those two I sang along to back at the calling at the orphanage, I only know two other songs: _King of Rock _and _Rock You Like a Hurricane_. And I'm ignorant as to who's singing them. But whoever they are, they're good at singing.

Felicia shook her head in what I guess is dismissal. "Anyway," she continued, "our group was a great hit in the music business. We traveled around together, performing all over America, but then a certain unfortunate event occurred, and we were forced to retire from the onstage life."

An 'unfortunate incident' that forced them to retire? What could _that_ possibly be? Could it be because the media found out they weren't humans and decided to sic the cops on them?

"After our career was forcibly put on hold, I left my friends to make a living on their own and traveled across America again. Eventually, I thought of building the Felicity House, and you know about the rest."

Mm-hmm… I see, I see… That was quite a bit of backstory. At least that explains why she's trying to be such a peacemaker, especially during this last week before the fire. And it also explains why she doesn't feel the same about humans like I do.

Say… her eyes are sparkling with curiosity. "So, John, what was _your_ childhood like?" she asked.

You know, I had a hunch that she was gonna ask me that. "It's a long story," I replied.

Now she is smirking. It's full of playfulness and mischievousness. "I've got lots of time to hear it."

I couldn't help but chuckle at how she used my own words against me. "Alright, I'll tell you my story – but I warn you; it's a lot less cheerful than yours."

She just nodded while keeping that smile of hers on her lips.

"Okay… Like you, I don't really remember my parents, but it's not because I wasn't raised by them. As far as I can remember, my parents were pretty humanlike in appearance." Actually, on second thought, I should clarify things better. "To be perfectly honest, that only goes for my mom – my dad, you see, was never present at all, if I remember correctly. I don't even know if he was a human, or if my mom was a human, but whatever the circumstances, I was born a Darkstalker."

Felicia's smile faded into a straight line as she nodded in interest. She must've been more curious than I thought.

"My life with my mom was pretty steady and peaceful… until I was four." I indicated my furry, clawed hands. "You see, during my first four years of living, I looked no different from a human child. After I reached the age of four, my body started changing, growing claws and fur."

"I know what you mean," she cut in. "I also started changing when I was a four-year-old."

I let out a sigh and looked down at the ground. "It happened to me while my mom had taken me to get some new shoes. One moment I'm sitting on a small chair, waiting for my mom to put a shoe on my foot; the next everyone's staring at me in horror as the remains of a shredded shoe falls from my right foot. After that, my mom picked me up and ran away with me. I didn't understand a thing that was going on; I just wondered why everyone was giving me such weird looks I had never seen before and why my mom was running away with me. When we got home, I got a good look at her face… and realized that she was crying. She didn't say anything to me… she just hugged me tightly and sobbed."

"A week later, something horrible occurred. It started when I smelled something burning. I just thought my mom had accidentally burned something on the stove, but then the smell got stronger, and it suddenly got very hot. I then saw my mother, her eyes wide in terror and soot on her body. She picked me up and ran out of our house like there was no tomorrow. When we broke out of our burning house, she kept running until she ran into an alley, where she paused to catch her breath."

"I then heard the sound of footsteps – _many_ footsteps – heading our way. I didn't know what was going on – I just stared at my mom in absolute confusion. But, my mom… I could tell just by looking at her that something was very, very wrong. She then put me down next to a trashcan and picked up an open, rotting cardboard box. She told me to stay there at that spot until I couldn't hear the sound of footsteps anymore. After telling me that, she then told me to run as far away as possible and stay far away from humans as long as I lived. She then put the box over my small body and walked out of the alley."

"Though I was still very confused, I did as she told me to. Eventually, I heard her and someone else speaking, though I can't remember what they said, followed by a really loud bang. When the sound of footsteps had faded away, I peeked my head out of the alley and saw a big red stain that I swore wasn't there before, and my mom was nowhere in sight. Although I was crying, I did what I was told and ran out of town while staying as far away from humans as possible. Ever since that day, I've been walking all over America, looking for someplace where I won't be bothered by any humans at all."

I suddenly felt someone wrap their arms around me. I looked up and into Felicia's face. There are tears in her big blue eyes. "That… that's so sad…!" she wept as her arms hugged me tighter. "John, I… I never thought someone could have a childhood that sad…"

Great going, John – you made her cry by being melodramatic. I hugged her back and cooed, "It is okay, Felicia… Don't cry… Just don't cry…"

I don't know how long we just stood there hugging, but it felt like hours.

* * *

Ah, finally! Somewhere to sleep for the night!

After having cheered Felicia up, we had continued walking and had agreed that we'd go to sleep when the moon was high up on the sky. Fortunately, a little while after the sun had gone down, we spotted a small house right in the middle of nowhere. All lights were off, and I managed to convince my friend that we should sleep in there. Walking up to the house, I spotted a note on the front door, saying that the place was to be demolished this Sunday. Since tomorrow's a Saturday, we can easily spend the night here without any worries.

After I managed to pick the lock with the claw on my right index finger, the two of us entered to see the near-empty state of the house. By 'near-empty' I mean that there was an old, worn-out couch in the middle of the room we were now in, and I could spot a small bed without mattres or sheets or anything standing in one of the next rooms. No wonder this place is to be torn down – it's a dump!

"Well, it's at least better than sleeping on the cold ground outside," I commented. As I stared at the couch, which suddenly had many bugs crawl out of its ragged covers, I instantly came to a conclusion. "Felicia, you can take the bed. I'll sleep on the couch."

I turned to look at her and saw her eyes locked on to the couch, her nose wrinkling in disgust. I can see why. "I dunno, John…" she said as she turned her head to look at me. "It's pretty nasty. Do you really wanna sleep on that?"

"Better me than you."

Her eyes flickered from me to the couch and back, clearly showing reluctance. But in the end, she nodded and walked towards the lone bedroom. Good girl. "Sleep tight, John," she called over her shoulder as she entered the room. "Don't let the couch-bugs bite." And with that, she closed the door.

With a big sigh, I walked up to the couch, laid down on it, and then curled up into a ball. This rotten piece of furniture feels softer than the ground…

…but I really would like to sleep in a real bed again.

* * *

(As the demons look for their target, a trashcan in an alley opens up to reveal dopliss's head)

dopliss (whispering): That was chapter five of this story. Please don't be upset if Felicia's backstory doesn't sound 100% accurate to canon. Also, please don't reveal to Pyron where I am in a review, okay?


	6. The Following Day

**dopliss (from inside of the trashcan): Hey, guys! I'm very, very, very, VERY sorry this took so long to update, but I had a lot of unfortunate interruptions happen to me, among those being my sister's birthday, my dad's birthday, my parent's silver wedding anniversary, me being sick… and finally, my brother holding a huge party last Saturday, which resulted with the rest of the family cleaning up the next day. Hopefully, the next chapters won't get delayed that long in the future.**

**Disclaimer: Since you own the Darkstalkers franchise, Capcom, why not shift your focus from Street Fighter over to this?**

* * *

On a scale from five to zero, where five is the nice bed at the Felicity House and zero is the uncomfortable ground, this couch lies just between one and zero. The seats are not comfy in the slightest, the armrest is impossible to lay your head on, and I woke up with bugs crawling all over my face and in my mouth. But at least I managed to sleep on it.

After I woke up and spat all insects out of my mouth, I decided to spend the time waiting for my female traveling companion to awaken by reading an atlas I found lying about. I've got no idea why it's in this rundown dump to begin with, though. Maybe the previous owners forgot to bring it along when they hightailed it outta here. There's not really much worth looking at in this book, but I have to waste my time with something.

…Even if that something is staring at only two pages showing off the continent of America.

Hey, when you live a life where the fastest method you'll ever travel is on all fours and where pretty much everyone in the world capable of thinking want you dead, why even bother learning about other countries?

The sudden creaking to my left caught my interest, and I turned my head to look at a yawning Felicia. "Didn't sleep well?" I asked.

"I could_ just barely_ fall asleep last night," she replied while rubbing her eyes. "Not only does the bed not have a mattress, but I think the springs have rusted, because the bed was as stiff as a plank of wood."

Geez… that really sucks. Maybe _I_ got the better bed in the end…

"Anyway, I didn't know you were a man of literature, John," she said as she walked up to my left and sat down on this crappy couch.

"Nah, it's nothing…" I replied. "It's just something mildly entertaining to do while I waited for you to leave Dreamland. This map isn't even anything interesting; it's just telling me what I already know."

Her right eyebrow rose in what I assume I curiosity. You know, she looks kinda cute when she's like that. "And what would that be?" she asked.

"That America's big, has fifty states, and is sandwiched between two countries, with Canada above it and Mexico below it."

…Why did she just giggle after ten seconds of silence?

"John, you little dummy! Canada and Mexico aren't 'above' or 'below' America; they're north and south of it, respectively."

D'oh! I can't believe I thought that! Of course countries can't be right above or below each other! Stupid, stupid, STUPID!

Oh man… if the heat's any indication, my face must be redder than a tomato right now.

"A-Anyway!" I stuttered, looking away from her and down on the map. "Now that I have this map, would you mind telling me what state we're in?"

"Well…" I heard the sound of scratching. I guess she's scratching her head in thought. "The Felicity House was built in Massachusetts, and we haven't traveled that far, so I guess we're still there."

Massachusetts, huh? I can't remember ever going there during my life of walking from one place to another again and again. "Massachusetts is… there, right?" I asked, pointing at that long piece of land that juts out.

I heard her giggle. Looks like I was wrong again, but with something less stupid. Her right hand suddenly came into view and grabbed my hand dragging it to the top right corner of the map. "No, it's _there_, between New York, Vermont and Connecticut."

Oh… it's next to New York? And here I thought that little piece of land up there was under Canadian ownership and the only state next to New York were New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Well, there goes my lifelong belief that those last few states were actually really tiny and clustered around Texas.

"Well, thanks for the little geography lesson," I said, putting the atlas down on the right side of the couch and standing up. "Anyway, I don't feel like staying in this place for one more minute. How about we leave this rundown house?"

I turned back to look at her face. She was smiling as kindly as ever. "No need to ask," she replied, standing up as well. "Besides, this place will be nothing but rubble by tomorrow, if that sign outside is to be believed."

After exiting the house and closing the door (didn't bother relocking it, even if I could), the two of us were on our merry way to nowhere in particular. You know, with that little example of her smarts just now, I can't help but wonder how she fares in activities that don't require intelligence. "Say," I began, "how skilled are you physically?"

As her eyes turned to look at me, I noticed her mouth curling up into what I can tell is a smirk. "Why're you asking?" she replied. "You're not planning to fight me, are you?"

That question made me laugh. "Fight you? As if! Fighting you is something I'd hate to do." Now it was my turn to show hints of a smirk. "I'm more curious in how fast you are."

Her smile became an outright smirk. "Oh, I'd say I'm pretty fast. Why, are you challenging me to a race?"

My smirk emerged fully, as well. "That depends…"

Very subtly, I began increasing my walking pace. Since she's still keeping up with me, she's probably doing the same. I then geared up into skipping speed, and she did the same about a second after I did. This might get interesting. I then broke into running speed – which, I'd like to note, is the same as someone on a bicycle sprinting. Two seconds later, she was right next to me again. Looks like her muscles aren't just for show and looking good.

Alright, time to crank up the dial to max speed!

Making a short leap, I dropped down to all fours and sprinted at my full speed. Whenever I run this fast, I'm usually as fast as a scooter at max speed. And also, it feels so _great _when I'm dashing away like this. The wind against my face, the whooshing sound in my ears, and the feel of the ground underneath my pads… they all combine to make me feel so alive.

Hmm… Felicia's not caught up to me yet. Could it be that I'm faster than her when on all fours?

Oh, wait, forget it – there she is.

Once we were neck to neck again, so to speak, I couldn't help letting my smirk turn from challenging to teasing. "Well, you sure took your time!" I said.

"It's been a while since I last moved on all fours and at full speed!" she replied, still sporting that smirk of hers.

"Well, then welcome back to your natural roots!"

* * *

It took us three hours before we stopped running and lay down on the ground, panting hard and trying to catch our breaths. It felt like an entire hour had passed before we moved onwards again. But man, that race was _fun_! As well as those feelings I've mentioned, there's just something sweet about racing against someone who's equal to you in terms of speed. It just makes your heart pound harder and drives you to do your absolute best, either to beat your competitor or make the race more exciting.

Eventually on our resumed walk, the two of us spotted another house, although this one looked much nicer that the last one. To name a few facts about how better it is, the walls on the outside didn't look rotten, the building had two floors, was encircled by lush trees, and there was a roadway nearby. If I had to qualify a guess, I'd say it's a summer home.

Upon breaking open the lock and walking inside, there were more reasons this house is better than the last one. Namely lights, nice furniture, a fridge, and a stairway up to the top floor. "Not as nice as the Felicity House, but still great," I thought out loud.

I turned to look at Felicia. Hmm… that's odd. She doesn't seem happy that we're sleeping someplace decent. She's even frowning. "…I don't really like this," she said. "I feel like I should be put in jail for this."

Oh, I see. Little Ms. Religious Goody-Goody thinks this is breaking and entering. Well, it _is_, but still. "Look, there's nothing wrong with breaking a few laws if it's for your own survival, especially when it comes to our types." I turned away and began walking over to the fridge. "Besides, you didn't complain when we broke into that last house."

"W-Well, that's because it was due to demolition. Somebody actually owns this place."

"Oh, don't worry; they won't ever know we were here." I opened the fridge, and my throat danced with joy (kinda odd to say, though…). "Well, whaddya know! They forgot a carton of milk when they last left this place!"

I grabbed the carton and closed the fridge. The expiration day says first November this year. I must be on a lucky stream today! I looked at Felicia and shook the carton, letting her know I was offering, but she shook her hand. Gee, she must really be a law abider when she refuses _milk_ of all things.

Oh well… more for me!

Opening the carton, I guzzled down all the milk in it. Man, milk tastes _great_! I can never get enough of that stuff! This is the best addiction ever!

Once I had swallowed the last mouthful, I sighed with satisfaction and threw the empty carton into the nearest trashcan. "Now then…"

Hey, wait a minute! Where'd Felicia go? She's nowhere to be found.

"Felicia? Where are you?" I called.

"Upstairs!" I heard.

You know, I _was _wondering where the beds were…

I walked up the stairs and entered the single room on the floor. I was right in thinking this was where the beds were. Other than seeing two separate, neat beds, I spotted Felicia sitting on the one on my right. "I'm going to bed," she said.

I looked at the nearby clock hanging on the wall. The small hand had only just passed the number six. "This early?" I asked her.

"I'm a bit tired right now."

Well, I can't really fault her for that. From when we woke up till now, neither of us have eaten anything, and that race did little to keep the hunger at bay. "Well, okay then," I said and turned away from her. "I'll sleep downstairs."

"You can sleep in the other bed, you know."

…Did she just offer me to sleep with her? Stay calm, Johnny. Stay calm. "B-But don't you want this room for yourself?" I asked.

"If I get to sleep comfortably, I see no reason why you shouldn't. Besides, we're not gonna sleep in the same bed; it's completely innocent."

Somehow, I've got the feeling she won't take 'no' for an answer. With a sigh of defeat, I closed the door, turned off the lights, walked over to the bed Felicia wasn't on, laid down on it, and pulled the duvet over me, lying down with my back turned to her. Seconds later, I heard something shuffle nearby. That must be her getting under her duvet.

Man, this bed _is _comfortable. I've missed this. But still, this isn't making me sleepy. Maybe I can strike up a conversation until I start feeling drowsy? "Hey, Felicia?" I asked.

"Yeah?" I heard her reply.

"I'm a little curious about something."

"What is it?"

"How come you became a nun?"

"I already told you, John. I build the Felicity House to—"

"To make others happy, I know, I know," I interrupted. "I mean, why become a nun in the process? Is it because of your adoptive mother?"

"That's correct."

"But… but from what I've heard, nuns can't get married or have kids on their own. Don't you want to have your own family?"

Everything was then silent for a while. I guess she'd never thought about stuff like that. "Well, to be completely honest, John," she finally said, "I've never seen myself with a possible future of being a mother or a wife in a family. While my mother did once tell me that one day I would find the one who will love me just as much as I will love him, I just can't believe any human man would want to fall in love with me."

I turned around to look at her. Her head was turned away from me, if the big mass of blue I saw was any indication. "Well… then why not go for someone like me?"

Wait… _WHAT _did I just say?! That sounded so easy to take the wrong way! You've screwed up, Johnny!

I saw her turn around, and her face radiated with confusion. "Someone like _you_?" she asked.

Gah! She's gonna think you've got any sexual interest in her, Jonathan! She's gonna think you're a primitive beast with nothing other than 'eat', 'sleep' and 'mate' in your head! Say something to make her think otherwise, man! Quickly!

"Uh, you know… a Darkstalker."

Whew! Nice save.

I could see her expression turning thoughtful. Good. Crisis averted. "You know… I've never thought about that. To be perfectly honest, there once was a time where I feared other Darkstalkers, where I thought they were nothing but monsters that terrorized humans for their own pleasure – I was even pretty scared when I took my first steps into my search for my happiness."

Well, well… It seems like she once thought all Darkstalkers were primitive beasts with nothing but 'murder', 'rape' and 'frighten' in their heads. But if she's nice and friendly to me, then my money's on her overcoming her fears.

"But eventually, I found out that not all Darkstalkers are evil." I knew it. "I found some who were pretty friendly people, and I still like them to this very day, even though I've lost contact with them. But still, I'm not sure if I can suddenly marry and raise a family with another Darkstalker, be he of my breed or not."

Oho! So the little lady has some relationship issues even before the first date. Though I'm not one to gloat; what woman would be interested in me? A crazy cat lady, perhaps?

"Thanks for telling me." I think it's best to stop asking questions now. Turning around and tucking myself in, I said to her, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, John," I heard her reply.

* * *

dopliss: Well, kinda short and not worth much after this huge gap in updates, but I promise the next one will be good – specifically so because it'll feature another character from the Darkstalkers universe and a fight scene. See ya next time!


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